Handicapper Tips & Picks

Not in love with 1-MAN ON ATTACK but he has four workouts coming into this race, he has faced better in most of his turf races, and he’ll have a sharp rider as pilot. Just not convinced he will be at his best in such a short sprint. 3-PONCHO ATTACK, roommate of top choice, has been more of a sprinter. He has a similar workout pattern as his buddy. Wouldn’t be too surprised if they grabbed the first two places at the wire. 6-MR SWEETS never ran on turf but he has a decent turf pedigree. He ships in from Florida for a barn that doesn’t have a high win percentage but whose runners have hit the board in six of their seven starts this meet. 

If 6-BEEHIVE recovers the form she displayed in 2024, she’ll be very tough to beat. Looking at her workouts in preparation for her 2025 debut, that could be the case. She was never competitive in her three stakes races to close out 2025 but she has to be the one to beat in this spot. Stakes winner 3-DANCING MAGIC showed little last year after winning that stakes but she started her 2026 campaign with a resounding victory at Tampa. However, she had only two published drills, over a month apart, since that race. Have to wonder why. 2-KEEN GAL is two-for-two at the meet. Turns back in distance for this race but did win the sprint in her previous start. Her two wins were by daylight. Will be interesting to see how she stacks up against this tougher company. 

2-GIFT GIVING narrowly lost her local turf debut here last fall. She faced the boys in that race. Following four months off over the winter, she reemerged at Fonner Park and ran well in two dirt races there, breaking her maiden in her last start. She’s back on the weeds for this race. Think she’ll be finishing full of run. 1-ROARING VIXEN makes her first start of the year. She ran well in her last two turf races, breaking her maiden here in the fall. Her drills seem sufficient. Fits well at this level. 5-WILDWOOD ADIOS has had four turf races, all against runners similar to these, and she finished in the money in three of them. Ignore her poor dirt effort downstate in last. She should be better on the lawn.  

5-TIME BREAK is a weak choice. I like that she finished second in her first start of the year and I like that she’s dropping in class for this. I don’t like that she hasn’t won here in 17 tries despite often meeting easy competition. 2-WILD TAPIT is still eligible for this race since her win in last didn’t count against eligibility because the claiming price of that race was $4000. She might have the advantage because of recent form but she isn’t a standout. 4-ABBMAR looks like the quickest of these. She should get the lead and at this short distance could stay there. 

6-MOOGIE SON, fresh off a narrow loss as Fair Grounds, looks like the one to beat. That was his second race for this barn. Keeps his talented Canadian/Fair Grounds rider in the irons. He came from far back in that last race but he is just as capable when racing on or near the lead, though with all the other speed in here, his ability to run late might be the right tactic. 4-DEL RAYO ships in from Arizona. He’s been off since January and has had only weirdly-spaced drills during that interim but he did have three turf races prior to that layoff and ran well in all of them. 7-AS ONE DOES could hold a slight speed advantage. He’s in from Texas. Drops from allowance company. Could outlast them all.