Handicapper Tips & Picks

Nice little race if the field stays intact. I’m giving a slight nod to 4-DIALED INNA. She’s going to be racing with blinkers for the first time in her career. She owns decent speed but think that they’ll have her tracking what could be a heated speed duel between Hot Dame and Free Love. 6-HOT DAME could be the quickest of the two and she’s been a bear on the front end. She won 10 of her 39 starts but five of ten, along with four seconds, this year. 5-FREE LOVE didn’t handle turf in last but she was in good form prior. Won two of her three races at the distance and three of eight at Hawthorne. 

2-MUD HUT could break through. She’s been trying to earn her second victory for a while, she graduated almost two years ago, but she has finished second all four times she ran at this level. Maybe this will be her day. 5-SISTER SAINT was favored in last but wound up finishing a bit behind Mud Hut. However, that was her first local trip and she was making her first start in a month with only one dull drill during that span. Could be fitter for this trip. 3-HIP HOP EMMY takes on winners for the first time. It’s been almost four months since her last start but her recent drills have been decent and she is returning to the races at the right level.  

It looks like it’s 6-HIGH BROW’s race to lose. Beaten favorite in four of seven races this year drops a few levels. Think she’ll finally make amends and maybe go home with different owners. 7-FIRST MASAMUNE also drops. He hasn’t been quite as competitive as top choice but he should be expected to improve dramatically at this level. 3-MEMPHIS PRAYER was claimed from last and returns at the same level. He finished third in last but only by a neck and the winner of that race came right back to win again. Late runner needs some pace help but seems likely to get it. 

Heard 6-PURPLE OCTOPUS is a runner and he’s certainly been working like it. He’s been outworking older with regularity. His barn brings them ready. Guessing he graduates at a short price. The other runner from the barn, 4-NEON DEION, doesn’t sport the quick works of top choice but he does race for the top connections and he’ll utilize an Eclipse mentioned apprentice in the irons. Wouldn’t take him lightly. Trainer Chris Block also has a couple runners in here. Both have been training regularly and can be expected to be ready at first asking. 5-TOUGH LITTLE NUT has been training well for a barn that brings them ready. 

Going to try with 10-WESLAN. In this speed-filled race. I would expect someone to come flying late and Weslan does appear to be the best closer in the field. He has been finishing behind some in here but could show more in a race featuring a stronger early pace. 3-EASY FAST meets winners for the first time while also trying two turns. This race has multiple front runners but he could turn out to be the quickest of them. 5-CONI'S COUP carried his speed much farther in last, his second start of the year, and held on for second. In his third start of the year, he could take it all the way. 

Great race! Don’t know if the five-pound “bug” allowance will make much difference in this race but the distance certainly will. 5-TAPE TO TAPE led for all but the last couple jumps in last but that race was at six and a half furlongs and this race is a sixteenth shorter. He likely holds the speed advantage once again. This time he might not get caught. 3-W W CANDY passed them all including top choice in last. He has been far more successful on this track and at this distance than top choice. He will be flying late. Could get there again. 1-CHIPOFFTHEOLDBLOCK is the leading money winner in the field. However, the huge majority of his wins came versus Indiana breds, two of the remaining wins were at Will Rogers Downs and he had one allowance win at Oaklawn last year. Has competitive speed figures but not 100% sure he belongs with these. 

7-OVERDUE HONOR ran fourth, splitting the field, in his lone turf start. However, he took a year and a half off after that race. He's had two races this year since coming back. Both were scheduled for turf but both were moved to the main track. This will be his first race back on turf. Hopefully he does well. 1-MANEUVER completes the sprint-route-sprint cycle. He raced competitively in both starts but could be ready for a much stronger effort. 3-A P BLAZING GREEN might be the quickest of these. He’s making his 12th start as a maiden but he has been competitive recently. He was entered in turf sprints in his last three but all those races were moved to dirt. Today we’ll see what he can do on the lawn.