Handicapper Tips & Picks

6-BABY BOAT races for a barn that doesn’t win with many first timers and his drills don’t seem to be anything special but heard he’s a runner. Guess we’ll see. 5-NOTIPTONI, of those who have raced, seems to be the fastest. He was narrowly beaten in his debut, finished a distant second to a tough winner in his second start, then stumbled at the start of his last race but still rushed up to press the pace before running out of gas. Would expect him to be a contender if he gets a clean trip. 7-RUMBLING tired late after displaying decent speed in his debut. But runners making their second start for his barn often improve greatly with experience. I like the workout pattern on 2-TAUNTING.

4-CODE RUNNER looks like the one to beat. Not sure why they shipped him to Presque Isle in last, considering his previous poor efforts on synthetic, but he ran pretty much like a horse that didn’t like the surface. However, in his previous start here at this level, he won by daylight. He’s back at Hawthorne and back at the right level. 2-JEFF THE LION finished second in last two and in three of last four. He finished far behind top choice in the other race but was sent to contest the pace instead of utilizing his normal closing kick. Has a legitimate chance if taken back off the pace early. Not sure what has happened to 7-COOL QUARTET since getting claimed by this barn. He had been in pretty good form and had the highest speed figures of any in here. But his last couple races left a lot to be desired. Hard to leave him out but probably would have liked him better if he had a work or two since his last dull effort.

No guarantees but one would think that 3-TIGGER ATTACK will improve with the drop in class and maybe the stretch in distance. He hasn’t shown a thing this year but this should be his wake-up spot. 4-CRUZIN N CURSIN is fresh off a second-place finish against a similar group. I like that he showed the ability to finish with some run while his opponents all tend to tire late. There’s a good chance that he’ll improve in his second trip around two turns. 6-CAPTAIN’S FLAG is probably the quickest of these and blinkers on should only enhance that early speed. He’s making his first start for this barn after getting claimed from last. He could break on the lead and never look back.

7-CANTSTEALMYTHUNDER drops to the right level. He hasn’t been showing a lot since getting claimed by this barn but he has just been in too tough. He was narrowly beaten the last time he ran against similar rivals. The probable contested early pace should set things up for his late run. Both 2-TWO COOKIE RULE and 1-KHOZAN’S SUCCESS have been in good form. Both enjoy good tactical speed which allows them to run well on or right off the pace. Both have been good at the distance. Both figure to be right there at the finish.

6-MEMPHIS CASH QUEEN could hold a slight edge. She was narrowly beaten in the last race in this starter series but she was probably the only one making up ground late. This race is a sixteenth farther and she still gets the advantage of Slevinsky with her seven-pound apprentice allowance as pilot. 1-IZZY’S MONSTER has been so very good in this series. She won the first two legs by daylight and just failed in last, finishing third by a head. But even though she held on and almost won, the fact that she didn’t is concerning. Not sure the added sixteenth mile of this race will be to her benefit. 2-MO SMOKING did win the last leg of this series, beating both top runners in the process. She led for all but the last jump. However, she was running out of gas late. She’s likely to face more early competition and will have to carry her speed a sixteenth farther. Could be a tough task.

4-WHERE’S THE WINE might be the quickest of this. Filly ships in from Kentucky where she had been meeting possibly tougher rivals. She wasn’t able to overcome the outer post in last but believe with the move to Hawthorne and the move to an inside post, she’s going to be tough on the lead. 6-DEAL’EM N WEEP finished third in her two turf starts. Both races were routes but think she has the kind of tactical speed that will allow her to be even better with the turn back in distance. 3-MACHIVA came from far back in her last two races to finish second; beaten less than a length in both starts. However, she’s turning back to a sprint today. She’ll probably be even farther back today. Not sure she can close as well with the lack of real estate.

5-SOVIET STANDARD could be the best of the speed in a race without a lot of pace. Makes his second start off a layoff. He’ll be utilizing an apprentice rider that has yet to win a race here but he does get a 10-pound weight break and at this level, that could be a big factor. 7-JIM AND JIM is in better form than most. Takes blinkers off for the first time since early this year. Might enjoy the better vision. Keep expecting 4-MALIGATOR but it just doesn’t happen. But, I keep hoping.

Think 5-CADET CORPS could have the edge in this very tough field, despite moving up in class. He has just been so consistently good this year. Although he was nipped late in last by another member of this field, he was still making up ground late. This race is 40 yards farther and that might be just enough distance to allow him to make amends. 4-READTHECLIFFNOTES is winless this year but his last race was probably his best race in months. He’s always been game. Wouldn’t be surprised if he were the best of these. 3-GO EMI could be an interesting runner. He had been in poor form most of the year but suddenly woke up in last, when he went off at 42-1, and finished second. He had races last year that would make him competitive in this spot. Maybe he’s rounding into form.

With the drops in class, both 1-COLLOSEO and 9-SIMPLE LOGIC seem to tower over the rest of the field, even though they are facing other talented runners. Colloseo’s lone win in this country came on synthetic but he have never be in a race close to this easy. He has earned nearly $250k on the lawn. This should be his wake up spot. 9-SIMPLE LOGIC is every bit, if not more, dangerous. He finished third at this level in last and won his previous start. Colloseo is likely to race close to the pace while Simple Logic should be coming from far back. 3-RIVER REDEMPTION is the sleeper. He won four of his 10 races on the lawn, including three of last four. He beat runners at a higher level two races back and did it as the odds-on favorite. 6-WICKED SUPRISE hasn’t had as much turf experience as some in here but he did win two of his five grass starts, including last at this level.