Handicapper Tips & Picks

Money might not buy you happiness but $500k bought 5-DOROTHY CROWFOOT. Her workouts, for the most part, haven’t been that great and am concerned that she didn’t have a published drill in three weeks but we know her barn brings them ready. 3-RICHIE’S GAL, like top choice, is trained by the leading trainer. She has probably been working better than her stablemate and even had an additional drill that her partner didn’t have. Wouldn’t be surprised if she were the first to cross the wire. 2-RUMBRANDT and DEVIL are both trained by Michele Boyce. They have been working in company so it’s hard to pick one over the rest, but they have both been working well and could easily figure in the outcome. 

Going to use Behavin Myself as kind of a yardstick, or a unit of measure in this race. I Like the way 6-NOT VERY GENTLE has been finishing her races. She won her last two after finishing in the money in her five previous starts. She beat Behaving Myself two races back. Guessing she’ll do it again. 4-BEHAVIN MYSELF looks like the best, and possibly only real speed, in this race. However, he won only one of his eight races this year because he tends to run out of gas late. He’s been beaten by two different members of this field in his last two races but he’s always a threat to lead from flag fall to finish. 2-GAGOOTS defeated Behavin Myself in last though that race was at a mile and a sixteenth and the slightly shorter distance of this contest can work against her. 

Hard to get past 7-GO ON GIRL. The fact that she’s dropping sharply doesn’t bother me since she was claimed for $7500 four starts back and has just been racing over her head. Seems likely to just coast along on an easy lead. Shouldn’t get caught. 4-EVIE JEAN makes her 24th start as a maiden but she’s dropping back to the right level. Moving back to the right surface, and turning back in distance. She finished in the money the last time she turned back. Might be able to do it again. 3-FEATURED POWER has had seven races and never finished closer than 15 lengths back but she’s never been in this easy.  

This race is scheduled for turf but rain continues so chances are it will be moved to the main track. Surprisingly, that could mean more of the runners in here will compete since many are entered for main track only and only a few in the main body are strictly turf horses. 3-RIVZONAROLL looks tough either surface but probably even more so on turf since he would appear to hold a huge speed advantage on the lawn but might face some early pressure on dirt. 8-SONNYISNOTSOFUNNY is entered for main track only but it does seem likely that this race will move. He’s been in good form all year with a win, a place and four thirds in his six 2023 races. He’ll try to attack late. 2-UNCLE HEADLY is another who would be competitive on either surface. He can finish with a rush and there should be plenty of pace to set up for his late run. 

4-PACIFIC VIEW is only of the main in here who could benefit from the stretch in distance. She showed little as the favorite in her last start but she was narrowly beaten in her previous two races. She’s bred to go long. Could make amends. 1-BLAZE BEAUTY also stretches out. Morning-line favorite finished third in three of her last four starts. Gets the top rider for this trip. Can get the job done. 3-J Z’S FINE WINE didn’t handle turf last time out and she’s never been all that competitive but she owns better speed than most in here and that speed could be magnified at the distance. 

It took 5-TAHOE RUN 11 starts to break his maiden but he had been narrowly missing in his starts leading up to that maiden win. Faces winners for the first time but his local speed figures suggest that he’s the fastest of these. 2-FAMILY TRADITION didn’t handle the turf in his last start but he did finish second in his previous race while making his local debut. He’ll be back on the main track for this. Should bounce back with a strong effort. 4-CONI'S COUP is working well towards his first start of the year. His barn has been strong with layoff runners and his speed makes him dangerous in a race with relatively little pace. 

3-GHAALEB'S DREAM would have been good on the lawn but think she’ll be much tougher on the main track. She split the field on turf in last, her first race since 2021, and she finished second in her only other turf race but much of her previous success, including both wins, came on the main track. 8-FREE LOVE drops and stretches out. She wired the field to break her maiden in a route race here last November. Might try to get the same kind of trip today. 9-BALI BABY has never been around two turns, moves up in class, and tries two turns for the first time but she is shipping from a tougher circuit and making her first start for new connections. 

3-FIVE O’SOMEWHERE showed little in his career debut but improved dramatically in his second start and finished third. Those races took place at Churchill but she has been working bullets on this track. Finally gets to race here. Could graduate. 8-RAVIN'S TOWN’s works have been sufficient. Starting from the outside post is always a concern with first-time babies racing but hopefully he’s been schooled enough from the gate. 6-CLASSIC RICHIE is another coming off a third-place finish. His race was in Pennsylvania. The second-place finisher of that race came back to graduate in his next start. Stablemate of Ravin’s Town should benefit from the experience.