Lammas won the Grade 3 San Francisco Mile on turf on April 27 at Golden Gate Fields, running past a field that included several shippers from Southern California. To win Sunday’s $150,000 Pleasanton Mile on dirt at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, Calif., Lammas must beat another group of shippers from the south while making his first start on dirt in nearly two years. Judging from the quickness of his recent works on the Pleasanton surface, Lammas should handle the surface switch in the richest race on the Northern California fair circuit. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. The Pleasanton Mile is one of two stakes on Sunday’s 10-race program, the final day of the Alameda County Fair. Cal-Expo begins a three-week meeting in Sacramento on Friday that continues through July 28. Lammas, owned by Ron Charles and Samuel Gordon and trained by Manny Badilla, has been in the best form of his career this year, winning three consecutive races since late February. The winning streak coincides with the three times jockey Irving Orozco has been aboard the 7-year-old English-bred gelding. In the $177,700 San Francisco Mile, Lammas closed from fifth in a field of 11 with a wide rally to win by a head. Immediately after the San Francisco Mile, Badilla said Lammas would be pointed to the Pleasanton Mile. To get to Sunday’s race, Lammas has had five workouts since late May, including a rapid five furlongs in 58.80 seconds last Sunday at Pleasanton. Orozco has been aboard Lammas for some of the works. Combined with the gelding’s recent wins, the workouts have given Orozco confidence Lammas can perform well from off the pace in the Pleasanton Mile, which drew a field of eight. “As long as he gets a good setup, he will run on anything,” Orozco said. “He needs to have a horse to follow. I think I’m on the best horse in Northern California.” There are three shippers from Southern California stables – Brazenly, Mixto, and Piroli. While Brazenly will be a longshot, Mixto and Piroli have better chances. Mixto is winless in five starts in graded stakes at Santa Anita since late December, including a third by 1 3/4 lengths in the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes on Jan. 27. Mixto is trained by Doug O’Neill, who won the 2023 Pleasanton Mile with Katonah. Piroli was second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita in May 2023. He returned from a layoff of more than seven months to finish fourth by a length in an allowance race at a mile on May 4 at Santa Anita, the 5-year-old gelding’s only start this year. Trainer Michael McCarthy wrote in a text message Friday that Piroli is starting in the Pleasanton Mile as opposed to the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap on July 28 at Del Mar because Sunday’s race is an “easier spot.” Piroli is capable of racing near the front or as a stalker. Zeus’ War could set the pace and will be followed closely by the intriguing gelding Il Bellator, who was fifth by two lengths in the San Francisco Mile and rebounded to win for the fourth time in his 17th start in an allowance race at a mile on June 1 at Golden Gate Fields. Il Bellator was third in the 2023 Pleasanton Mile. ◗ R Heisman, the easy winner of a maiden race for California-breds at 4 1/2 furlongs on May 31 at Santa Anita in his second start, will be favored to win his stakes debut in the $75,000 Everett Nevin Stakes for 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs earlier on Sunday’s program. Trained by Peter Miller, R Heisman is part of a field that includes Coracoracora, a filly who recorded a hard-fought win in a maiden race at five furlongs at Pleasanton in her debut on June 22. Timty, the nose winner of a maiden race on May 12 at Santa Anita, will have his first start for O’Neill, having previously been trained by Luis Mendez. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.