Handicapper Tips & Picks

5-FINDAWAY has had some great workouts surrounding some rather pedestrian efforts. Not in love with him but he does race for the top barn and he’s getting a red hot rider in the irons. 4-DOMINANT D had two good races downstate. He displayed good speed in both of those starts and he appears quicker than any of his rivals that have raced. But, guessing he’ll have to fight Findaway for the lead. 2-GOOD YEGG took two and a half years off of racing but has come back with a vengeance. He finished in the money in both starts since returning. The good closing move he’s been displaying could get him into the picture late.

5-IZZY’S MONSTER should be the best of these. She dominated in the first two legs of this starter series. The ability to go for the lead or come from behind makes her doubly tough. 3-MEMPHIS CASH QUEEN has improved dramatically lately and the only change I can see is that apprentice Rachel Slevinsky rode in her last two. If she can continue to run the way she did in last two she could give top pick a run for the money. 1-MO SMOKING finished second to Izzy in last, though she wasn’t a real threat. She tracked the pace in that contest. A similar tactic could earn her another paycheck.

5-KATIE M’LADY looks tough. Multiple stakes winner loves the front end. Her last race, a win, came in the Katie M’Lady Handicap. It’s been two months since that race but she’s always been great off layoffs. They are going to have to catch her. It seems a lot tougher to figure the second place finisher. 2-TRAIL RIDGE ROAD runs competitively on both surfaces so she seems logical for the runner-up finish. 1-WHITE LIES has been better on the main track but she’s pretty much a sprinter, though she has had some success around two turns. 3-JOURNEYIST would have been a top contender on either surface last year but she has yet to pull things together in 2024.

2-LOST SUNSET could be the best of the speed. She’s been getting progressively better since adding Lasix. She’s making her first start against winners but seems capable of making it two in a row. 5-WRITTEN CONSENT drops a few levels while turning back in distance and returning to the main track. She’s been finishing up the track lately but the drop to the right level could help to get her turned around. 4-SAPPHIRE NIGHTS could contest the early pace but she’s also capable of coming from out of it. It’s been a year and 11 starts since she broke her maiden but this could be a ripe spot to earn her second win.

4-FAMILY TRADITION was a stretch on turf but his dirt sprint numbers would seem to indicate that he’s one of the faster members of this field. The class drop should make him far tougher to beat. Likely worth his probable low odds. 1-PINBALLER is another that should appreciate this race getting moved to the main track. Although he has had success on turf, he just seems to be better, and more experienced, on dirt and he could be even better if it rains this afternoon and the race is contested on an off track. 5-THREEFIFTYSEVEN has been competitive at this level and he’s had races in the past that would make him competitive with top choice. He finished a bit behind Pinballer in a similar situation in last but he’s still eligible to improve for this barn. 

3-FIRST HILL’s speed figures aren’t dramatically higher than those of her rivals but she has managed to reel off six straight first-place finishes, though she was DQ’d from one of them. She has beaten most of her rivals in here at least once during that span. She isn’t a big closer but with most of her rivals in here likely to display speed, she could be poised to run by them all once again. 5-BEEHIVE might be the one most capable of beating First Hill. She was favored over that rival in last but the other filly was sent after the lead just a bit sooner and was able to hold off the stronger close of this one. But she’s more than capable of being the first to move today. 1-WILMA MANKILLER and 4-PURR SEA could lock up in a speed duel but if one of them doesn’t break alertly, the other could enjoy the lead to herself and that would make her very tough.

12-STARINA was entered for main track only and her connections got their wish. Well-bred runner was an eight-length maiden winner in her lone local start. Not sure how many rivals will remain after scratches but her best should take this. 13-CALISUE, the other MTO, has been in great form since getting claimed by this barn. In her four races here, she finished second three times and third once. Like top choice, she’s comfortable racing close to the pace or coming from behind. 9-R KATIEBUG likes the front end but showed that she is comfortable and capable when coming from off the pace. Not sure if she’ll test Spicy Delight on the lead but she’ll never be far back. 10-SPICY DELIGHT is likely to be far tougher in this spot than if this race had remained on the weeds. She reeled off four straight wins downstate. Speedy miss tries to navigate two turn for the first time but can see her building a commanding lead and maybe holding on.  4-GETOUTOFMYKITCHEN might be ignored but she’s a very good closer and she’s likely to get a favorable pace ahead of her. 

5-COOL QUARTET never fired in his first race after getting claimed by this barn but he was in great form prior to that start and the drop back into straight claimers should get him headed back on the right track. 3-AHEADOFTHE GAME might be able to come from off the pace but the name of his game is speed. He dominated the field in his last, a race containing many of these rivals. He also proved that he could win on an off track. He’s probably going to have to fight Lavender Earl for the lead but that rival might need a tightener since he’s returning from a year-long layoff. 4-BEEALEA could have dead aim late. He’s been in too deep since getting claimed by this barn but the drop in class and return could have him poised for a competitive effort.

8-FROSTED ÉCLAIR could hold the speed edge. Her turf races weren’t bad but her dirt races seemed a bit better. She’ll have plenty of speedy competition but her sharp rider will hold her together. 5-FRANKEL BABY will likely try for the lead. Her dirt speed figures aren’t quite as high as those of top choice but she has managed to win three of her five dirt races contested on fast dirt tracks. 2-ALLOTROPE drops back into claimers and takes blinkers off. She has been facing allowance foes since getting claimed by this barn and hasn’t been especially competitive but it will be an entirely different story at this level. 

This was a competitive race when it was on turf but it could be even more so with the switch in surfaces. It’s been a long time since 8-ALL ABOUT ME raced on dirt and she never won on the surface, her last two races were awful, but she has been in good form when racing at the right levels. Plus, she handles off tracks and her dirt speed figures from the past are the highest. 5-ADIVA faces her easiest dirt race in a long time. She hasn’t had a lot of luck around two turns in the past but her pedigree suggests she’s bred to run all day. Two wins in four off-track starts will have her connections praying for rain. 6-TIZ A COUNTRY GIRL has been far more successful on dirt than she has been on turf. She’s been claimed from two of the top barns in the country in her last two starts, both daylight victories. We’ll have to see if she can keep her streak alive with the raise into better company.