Handicapper Tips & Picks

In this “anybody-can-win” field, I’ll take a flyer with relative “price” shot 4-LUTION. She ran competitively in her debut but finished far back in her next two starts. All of her races were against tougher. Wish they would give her a try without blinkers since her bad races came after blinkers were added but, no matter what, she’s meeting her easiest field ever. 2-TENSE should be obvious after her narrow loss in last. She also owns better speed than her rivals. But she is making her 21^st start as a maiden. Couldn’t be surprised if she won but wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t.  7-SLEEPY CAT doesn’t sport incredible drills but believe the savvy barn will have her ready at first asking. 

5-TWELVE RED ROSES drops. She didn’t handle the off track or the company in her first start of the meet but she’s dropping many levels to take on this group while stretching out. Figures to be the quickest of these. Should wake up big time. Not a fan of horses running over their conditions and 2-QUEEN EKATI is still eligible for a non-winners of two but she’s simply in better form than any of her rivals. Hard to ignore. 6-KITTEN ROCKS also stretches out. She’ll also be taking on easier under the conditions of this race. She hasn’t shown a lot in previous route races but she should be prominent from the start and speed has still been holding well. 

Thinking 4-PRINCESS STELLA will try to wire the field and just might succeed. She never got close after getting bumped off her game in her first local start of the year but she was also meeting far tougher. She finished second vs. rivals similar to these in New Orleans two races back and she won by six in her previous Hawthorne dirt start back in September. 2-ARCH FLYER just missed in last while chasing the lone speed on a speed-favoring surface. The winner of that race came right back to win again. It is interesting to note that this mare went off as the favorite in that race while going off at over 20-1 in her previous start at the same level and finishing up the track. Maybe someone knows something the rest of us don’t. 3-FOGGY KITTEN could be tough. She narrowly lost last at odds-on. However, she’s been running out of gas late in recent races and the stretch out to six furlongs could only exacerbate that trend.

The drop should greatly improve the chances of 7-TIME HEIST. He’s been splitting much better fields for a long time. The one possible knock against him is that he’s not as quick as many of his rivals in here but if the field stays intact, there could be enough dueling front runners to set up for him. On paper, 8-ACT OF BOB looks almost unbeatable. He’s been a winning machine with victories in eight of his last nine starts. However, he hasn’t raced for nearly 11 months and he’s dropping in price for his return. 4-RESTORING HOPE needed last. He tired after showing competitive early speed but should be fitter for this trip.

Hard to look past 1-ACT A FOOL. He simply dominated maidens in his local debut. He either didn’t like Lasix or the synthetic track in his debut but made up for lost time in last. Obviously races on dirt and apparently without Lasix. The race could be for second place. 4-SIVAKO is another coming off an impressive maiden victory, though his was in December. After a lackluster debut at Churchill last June he was switched to the turf where he got better with every start. He broke his maiden sprinting but he’s bred to be better going long and they are stretching him back out today. He is racing for the first time in three months but he’s been working like he’s ready. 3-MONGOLIAN BEE could be interesting. He’s a quick sprinter stretching out. If they let him loose on the front end he could be long gone.

8-CHICKS FOR FREE just finished second in a race at this level that was a sixteenth shorter and he had been competitive in similar races last year. The race winner came back to win again. The longer distance of this race would seem to work in his favor but the fact that he comes from off the pace on what has been a speed-favoring track could work against him. Tough call. The speedy 7-C C’S KITTEN makes his local debut and his first start after getting claimed by this barn. He enjoys pretty high speed figures but those figures don’t always translate from synthetic to dirt and his only previous venture on dirt resulted in a fifth-place finish in a restricted stakes at Churchill. 3-JACK VAN BERG drops. He raced prominently in his first two starts of the year but tired late. Might be there throughout at this somewhat easier level.

1-JUST A WONDER could be tough on the front end. She has been extremely game recently resulting in three wins and a second in her last four starts. She looks like the only real speed in this race, unlike her last couple where she had to fight for the lead every step of the way. 2-SHARP HERO had some good drills during the break but they were spaced strangely with two months between her first and second drill and two weeks between her second and third. On the other hand, they were all bullets. She’s facing mostly Illinois breds in this spot which could give her the advantage. 7-STOPSHOPPINGAMY just missed to top choice in a race a sixteenth shorter. The extra distance could work in her favor. But like top choice, she’s an Illinois bred with much of her success against state breds and like Sharp Hero, she’s going to be coming from off the pace.

Impossible race to handicap. Most of the runners are either dropping to varying degrees or stretching out. Going to take a flyer with 7 MODIFIER. He’s one of the droppers and he’s stretching back out. But he is bred to run all day. He’s been having issues leaving the gate but if they can get that cleared up, he could turn out to be a good one. 1-GOLD SMOKE beat only one rival in his first start of the year which was also his first with blinkers. However, he had a couple competitive races last year, including one at this distance. Drops to meet his easier field yet. Could graduate. 6-WICKED SURPRISE could surprise. He’s one of those stretching out and it appears that he could be the best speed in the field. Might cruise on the front end.