Handicapper Tips & Picks

7-EXCELERINA is hard to gauge. She is the most accomplished on turf but she been primarily a route runner and her sprint races, dirt and turf, leave a lot to be desired. 4-GEORGIA ON E’SMIND is racing over her conditions, again, but she has been in very good form and she appears to be the fastest at the distance of these ladies. 5-LONG TALL WOMAN has been far more successful on dirt but she has raced well enough on the lawn to deserve serious consideration.  

2-BOONE'S PATH makes his first start in over two months with not many drills for prep but he is dropping to the lowest level of his career. It seems likely that he’ll go right to the lead and chances are, he’ll lead throughout. This looks like the right spot for 5-REMEMBER THE FEAR. He was in too tough in last and had the added misfortune of getting roughed up at the start on an off track. Today he’s in a straight non winners of two. An off track is a possibility, but he did break his maiden in the slop. All he needs is a clean trip. 1-BYWORD didn’t handle turf in last but he prior starts against winners weren’t bad. Looks like the best of the rest.  

This race is scheduled for turf but a lot of rain is expected between Wednesday and Thursday so I’ll pick 8-DYNAMIS just in case. He is entered for main track only but if the rain manifests, this race could be moved to the main track. Dynamis has been meeting better ever since he got claimed earlier in the year. This field would be the easiest he has faced for this barn. 3-HAWK'S CREEK seems most likely on turf and he would also be a top contender if this race did get moved to the main track. Both of his wins came on the lawn but all of his dirt races were against far better rivals. for 2-D DAY REUNION it’s been almost all or nothing. He didn’t beat a rival in his last but that race was against far better at Churchill. He beat allowance company in Indiana in his previous start, a race originally scheduled for turf but moved to the main track. It’s been over a year since 4-MONSTERONTHEMIDWAY even finished in the money but will never ignore anything racing for Chris Block. 

5-R U JOKING is bred to be a good one and his dominating win in last could imply that he might live up to his pedigree. But this speedy runner is likely to face plenty of pressure on the front end. Let’s see if he can put them away. 6-CENZONTLE didn’t last when fighting for the lead in last, his first start against winners, but he came from far back to score in his debut and won going away. If top pick faces too much early pressure, and they choose to take this gelding off the pace, he might be able to fly by all of them late. 2-THREE AFLEET improved in every race and was able to break his maiden in last, the first time he met Illinois breds. Don’t know if he’s as quick as top choice but he shouldn’t be too far back and will be ready if his main opponent falters late. 

No standouts here so I’ll just go with 8-TIE BREAKER LENNIE. He ran well in his two local turf races, finishing second in last after a third-place finish in his local turf debut. Maybe the third time will be the charm. 5-A P BLAZING GREEN has been primarily racing in short sprints but like the way he finished in his most recent start. The extra quarter mile could be right in his wheelhouse. Might be able to surprise. 1-I O FEDRO has never shown a thing on turf but he does race for Chris Block and it could be a costly mistake to ignore anything he starts on grass. 

2-SHAMEN SEZ finished second in three of his last four starts while finishing third in the other. Unlike some in here, he doesn’t usually fade late. Could be just fast enough today. 7-LAST MINUTE tends to tire late but he’s dropping to his lowest level yet. The team of Rivelli and Loveberry wins well over 25% of the time. This one appears to be in the right spot to boost their percentage. 4-HUMOR'S IMAGE just scored his maiden victory. His speed figures do suggest that he’s not as fast as the top pair of runners but he just might be faster than the rest of the field. 

6-WOLF HUNTER could graduate. He’s coming off a good second-place finish in his 2025 debut. That race was on dirt but he always seemed to be better on the lawn, even when meeting better. 5-RAGNOW finished 15 lengths behind the winner in his lone turf race but that was still good enough for second place and he was well clear of the third-place finisher. He’s facing a similar group today. Will be a factor again, especially if he benefited from the experience. 8-CRUZIN N CURSIN was never much of a factor in last but he got off to a terrible start and still came running late. He’s making his third start of the year. Could be his best race yet.