Handicapper Tips & Picks

3-TONY'S MORNING LINE was claimed from his last start of 2023. Like the way he's been working. It's interesting to note that his rider rode a different member of this field in last and finished second at a similar level. 5-HUNTER'S GHOST is one of several in here claimed from his last start. This runner won his last start at Delta. His new connections are off to a hot start. Figures at a square price. 2-IRISH DECLARATION flies late. He's been primarily a router but does have a win at this distance. 

Not in love with 4-SHARPENYOURFAITH but he's dropping to the right level, he does have some speed, and he does race for hot connections. 2-HAWAIIAN HIDE AWAY has a great chance to improve. He split the field in last at Turfway, his first race around two turns. Could improve with experience. 6-MONEY AGENT might be worth a look. He's another dropping to a better level. His first race of the meet wasn't bad despite a lack of many drills going into his first race of the year. Could be better prepared to get the distance today. 

3-EUCLID AVENUE makes his local debut and his first start for this barn while stretching out for the first time. He’s had two good local drills since his last start in Florida. Hasn’t shown a lot of zip in his sprint races but there is little speed in this race and he could be the quickest of the bunch. Class drop can’t hurt. Might leave them behind. 5-MYSTIC POWER was never competitive in his lone race at Turfway but he has continued to train well, he’s racing with Lasix for the first time, and he’s racing for the top barn. Improvement should be expected. 7-ALVIN does have proven route speed. He’s moving back up in class in his first start since getting claimed by this barn but this field does appear pretty easy. 4-ICE AXE might need the start but he has finished in the money in six of his 10 starts at the distance and in all four of his local starts.

4-MCVICKER could be the best of these. He might hold a slight speed edge. He finished third here at this level on opening day in what appeared to be a “key” race. He dueled for the lead in that spot. It could be the tightener he needed. 1-CROWN ROYAL KID wired the field in his career debut. Drew the rail again. Comes right back at a level that could make him the prohibitive favorite. Would certainly not surprise if he won right back. 3-GRAPHENE CASSOCK is back with trainer Arnett. This duo had some success together racing in Iowa and Florida. He hasn’t been in the best of form in Louisiana but could start to come around now that he’s back in this barn.

6-GOOD APPLE simply dominated on opening day. It’s true he was meeting Illinois-bred maidens but he didn’t even break a sweat after leading every step of the way. He’s likely to face stiffer competition in this spot, again against Illinois breds, along with far more pressure on the front end but guessing he’ll be up to the challenge. The race for second place is tougher to figure but think it might fall to 7-RHODIUMS PRIDE. He’s been off since November but has five legitimate drills coming into this race. He won his first two starts, including an allowance race in Indiana against open company, but just never fired in the Futurity at Fanduel in his last, despite going off as the low-priced favorite. However, his recent works suggest that he’s ready to bounce back. 1-CLYDE’S GREEN GO has been well regarded since his initial start and he’s had a number of good races against open company. He won the only time he faced state breds. He often displays good late kick which could come in handy against all the speed types in this race. 8-WILDWOOD RUBEN had three races and ran well in all of them. He hasn’t raced since June but sports many drills coming into this spot. His barn brings them ready to run.

1-RUTH OF JUDAH drops once more. She finished second, at double this claiming price, in her last start in Louisiana. Although the barn specializes in turf runners, this filly did show she could run on dirt, at least at lower claiming levels. 8-HAVALENE sports slow drills but she does race for the top barn and they win with 21% of their first timers. 5-MAGGIE E has had many starts but she’s coming off a good second in her first start for this barn and she has finished in the money in seven of her nine races at this distance.

Have to give 8-PROTONIC POWER the edge in this one. He’s been steadily racing all winter and even tackled stakes rivals a couple times. Many of his previous local starts were on turf but think his local dirt races were better. He finished second in both of those. There appears to be more than enough early pace to set things up for him. Should be able to take them late. Not sure if 5-UNIFIED DREAMS can beat top choice, he finished behind that rival the two times they met, but think he’s capable of displaying sustained speed, which many of the other quick horses are unable to do. Like that he usually finishes in the money. Could hold on to share. Local favorite 10-READTHECLIFFNOTES returns as a 9-year-old. He always loved this track. Ten of his 13 victories were scored here. However, he is nine and his last couple of years haven’t been that productive. Not sure he can still be highly competitive at this level.

There seems to be one “obvious” top choice in this race and maybe a couple under-the-radar contenders. 3-CAMP DADDY kind of stands out on paper. He’s been in competitive form while meeting better on a stronger circuit. He appears to have the versatility to handle any kind of pace. His barn is off to a strong start. Would expect him to be a rather short-priced favorite and he could live up to it. The Block-trained 8-SIMPLE LOGIC is primarily a turf runner. However, he did finish second the last time he raced on dirt here and went off as the odds-on favorite. But, there are a couple longshots here that I would consider in vertical wagers. First of all, 9-WESLAN. Ignore those last couple races at Churchill. The company was just too tough. But he has run well on this track on more than one occasion. The one that interests me however is 5-MOVE IN SILENCE. Previously trained by Rivelli, he’s making his first start for Butler and this barn sports a lofty 31% win percentage with runners starting for them for the first time and 27% with runners coming off similar layoffs. This barn had six start at the meet and four of them finished in the money. In a race with little speed, this one could be sent right from the gate and dare the others to catch him.

5-RUSSIAN TO WIN returns from a lengthy layoff and drops a few levels to make his first start for this barn and his first start on this track. He’s had five better-than average workouts in preparation for his return to racing. Obviously has some issues necessitating the long layoff but like that he’s coming back at a level where he can win. 3-ALYANAABI went off as the even-money favorite in his local debut but was narrowly defeated, losing by a neck after leading from the start. Can improve with a race over the track but it has to be noted that he’s been running out of gas late in recent races. The extra distance of this race could compromise his chances. 1-HURTS SO BAD completes the sprint-route-sprint cycle, although racing for a different barn since he got claimed from last. Like that he’s turning back in distance. He stopped badly in that route race in last but could have plenty left for the finish with the return to sprinting.