Handicapper Tips & Picks

The potential for a fast (Fire) early pace assists #4 DIVINELY BOLT for today's dynamic and two turn distance. She caught a similar Fire rating in the two starter allowance races earlier this years with the BTL show finish in May wheeling back for the win in June. 

The race shape could be a but of a hurdle for #5 JUMP INTO THE FIRE though one that projects to IMPROVE off the 7/27 trip and perhaps the outside draw with other speed in the field can sit an outside tracking trip.

#9 SPEECHLESS earned a follow from a BTL 8/24 debut earning an EX - EXCUSE (OptixNOTES) with TROUBLES+ including an X_WIDE trip and visuals to suggest he can IMPROVE all around. 

#8 TEXAS TOWN showed a lot of ability in the morning before his debut and backed up those visuals winning impressively first out at Oaklawn. He had no breathers in the race taking pace PRESSED and through an honest/X_FLOW pace forced to clear from the outside. He did all that on the track and that was after he ran off in the WARM_UP before the racing began. All of that is to mention that time required to recover and regroup something he will look to get back on track from here and should be well-intended to do just that. 

#1 NEXT LEVEL looks to hold intent as he makes his second start off the layoff and return to CD with J. Loveberry. He is one of a few in this field with a race at the distance and the lone runner to also have that race over this main track. That effort back in May was BTL and caught a solid group of older allowance runners. Number wise he must step up with a top effort though the distance can be an equalizer in this case and conditioning as well with the second off chasing open length pacesetting winner, E J WON THE CUP last month at FanDuel. 

The rider change on #9 HALINA'S FORTE is intriguing with J. Alvarado taking over today. Looking at the new OptixTRAINERGRID, in the past 3 years he has picked 14 calls with 6 wins, and a pair of place and show finishes with a positive $0.76 ROI. As an individual this filly has shown class holding her own in graded stakes company and effective around one turn as well as on the CD main track. 

Trainer T. Pletcher has a strong hand in this race with two accomplished fillies: #9 LIFE TALK might be the "better" of the two, though could be looking ahead at the BC as she makes a return from the 168-day layoff in this spot; #12 MISS JUSTIFY has the edge on recency and current form along with the X_FLOW/SHORTER upgraded exiting the Alabama (G1) last month and the C+ OptixGRADE might also suggest some class weakness (AVERAGE+) though sits ABOVE+ on both Speed and Plot. 

Trainer, G. R. Arnold has sent out live runners in a limited sample this month to suggest intent showing up with #5 NEON ICON. She will also find the class DROP exiting the Alabama (G1) and while her numbers are on the softer side compared to others she showed some class breaking her maiden around two turns on debut and validating that effort with the benefit of experience over this course picking up the N1 allowance win in May. She is still relatively lightly raced and given the placement and timing, she could still present a move forward. 

The M. Casse pair of #5 OLIVIA ROSE and #3 DANCING DUTCHESS stand out in terms of class for this event. The 5f distance is a specialty and moves up #2 SACRED DANCER in this case where she has recorded some of her stronger efforts including the win in this race last year.