Handicapper Tips & Picks

6-LILY’S CREED comes off a narrow loss. She didn’t show much in her first start of the meet but she led almost all the way in last. Doesn’t seem likely to face much early pressure. Can take it all the way. 3-SILKY WARRIOR needed last. She was a well-beaten fourth in a much tougher field but she’s dropping into a low-level claimer for this and she has always been tough against this type of rival. 2-NO NANNETTE NO, stablemate of top choice, could be the best of the rest. She owns decent speed and could be in the thick of things throughout while making her second start of the meet.

4-A REAL HERO could enjoy an easy early lead and, with the cutback in distance, that could be all it takes to earn her her first victory of the year. 6-RAINY MOUNTAIN couldn’t handle better company in last but she did come on late to win her previous start at this level, beating many of these rivals in the process. Just not sure if the probable pedestrian pace of this race will work to her advantage. 5-PALACE MAGIC was narrowly beaten by Rainy Mountain in her last start. She faced fillies and mares in her prior two starts and the winners from those two races both came right back to win again. She’ll be racing closer to the pace than Rainy Mountain and could be leading the second tier of runners with only A Real Hero to catch. She could get the perfect trip.

5-CODE RUNNER is probably the one to beat. After all, he beat most of this field in his last start. However, he was claimed from that race by a trainer without much history as a licensed trainer. Hard to pick with confidence until we see more. 1-TWO COOKIE RULE probably moved too soon in last and the effort cost him late. He simply ran out of gas. However, he did finish second in his previous two races and many of the runners from those contests, including the victors, went on to win their next starts. He always ran well here and finished in the money in 18 of his 33 local starts. Fits well with these. 2-ALVIN scored the third win of his career two races back and then finished second to top choice in last. He is among the best of the speed. Should be close throughout.

Wow! Competitive race, at least on paper. Can make a legit case for almost everyone in here. I keep going over the race and changing my mind. But think I have to go with 2-LUNDBERG. I like his versatility but think that he’ll be the best speed in the race even if the DRF Timeform pace ratings disagree. He won his last two starts and six of 19 at the distance. Slim pick. The pace of this race is likely to be a big factor. If blistering early fractions do occur, both 3-RED FLAG and 5-NAVY SEAL, he finished third in the 2022 edition of this race, could fly by. 6-DEVIL’S TOWER came from out of it to win his last start but he has raced closer to the early pace in the past and still finished with good energy. Those Timeform numbers suggest that 1-KING CAB is the quickest of these but he just hasn’t shown much staying power lately. 4-CAMP DADDY might be overmatched and he’s making his first start since July but he has had two local races and won them both.

8-WHATDOYOUTHINKMARK wired the field in his turf debut last year. His next turf start wasn’t quite as successful when he displayed good early speed but soon faded to last. However, in last he once again displayed good speed in last and he held onto the lead far longer. Meets an easier field today. Might not get caught. 7-CHANNEL WON, with 15 turf scores to his credit, might be the one they have to beat. He didn’t show much in his first two starts this year, finishing well behind top pick in last, but when he fires, he will close with a rush. 4-YO DAWG in winless in 10 turf trips but he did finish in the money in eight of them. Meets his easiest field this year. Good tactical speed will keep him close in the early going and just might be able to run by them late.

Not sure what to do with this race. I really don’t like the likely favorite, though he could win by the length of the stretch. Guess I’ll go with 1-NAGY AND THE BEARS. I hate that he has only two slow published drills since his race in October but he is quick, he’s done well at the distance, and the race is only five and a half furlongs. 4-MAN ON ATTACK is the obvious favorite but he always seemed better suited to turf routes. He already had a couple races this year but none since March and he had only one workout in the 10 weeks since that contest. Might be vulnerable. 3-A P BLAZING GREEN has some of the higher turf speed figures and he has had some good races at the distance but he will be utilizing a relatively unproven apprentice rider. Her 10-pound weight allowance could be a big help but inexperience could be key.

5-ETERNALLY GRATEFUL could hold the edge. He’s been in very good form since June, though he won only once in the 10 races during that span. On the other hand, he finished out of the money, a fourth, only one time during that period. He just missed as the odds-on favorite in his local debut. Cam make amends today. 4-DYNAMIS got good all of a sudden. He just won a $40k claimer at Oaklawn by daylight, beating 11 rivals. If he runs that way against today, he might not get beat. 1-BETTERA could be on or close to the lead throughout. This recent claim moved to a barn that wins with almost 30% of those starting for them for the first time. He’ll be a higher price than the top pair. Worth a look.

Weird race. There are runners in here that have earned a lot of money but only one of them earned a majority of their money on the lawn. At five furlongs, you know there will be a rush to get to the early lead. The speedier runners in here tend to fade late anyway and a battle for the front end could hasten them running out of gas. Guess I’ll take a shot with 4-COMISKEY PARK. He has been off since August and he hasn’t been all that successful off layoffs but he owns the best late move of anybody in here and he’s dropping a few levels for his comeback contest. 2-CONGRATS ON FIFTY might be slightly the quickest of these. He did fade late in all his turf sprints, finishing third in three of them, but they were all a sixteenth farther. The class drop could make the difference.3-MIDNIGHT SPECIAL can close a bit and he has been the most successful at the distance.