BEST BET: RACE 3, TUG OF WAR

FIRST RACE

ASPHALT PAVING finally making 3yo debut after being listed as a vet scratch a couple times back in January, but assuming all is well now as he drops back down while entered for dirt for the first time; raced on gamely for 2nd in debut behind Always a Suspect, who has won two more races since, including a blowout win with an 84 Beyer earlier this month. Z TOWN up from Florida for Pletcher after contesting the pace and getting out-finished by a 100/1 shot on debut; good post and his speed may play in this field. KILLYBEGS CAPTAIN dropped for his first start back and tried hard before settling for 2nd behind a sharp Mahalo John; similar effort may do. DHAMAAN sat the trip and then drove by to the lead in the stretch, only to relinquish it back to the eventual winner in disappointing loss last time; tries again.

SECOND RACE

SHIRAZ acquitted himself pretty well in pair of recent stakes tries on turf, now gets cut back to sprint on grass, which may be his preferred set of circumstances; finished well into a tough setup over this course and distance last September, before coming right back to break his maiden in open company over a pair of next out winners. NEW YORK’S FINEST made debut on dirt in the toughest NY-bred maiden of the year, then switched over to turf and easily powered down maidens at Saratoga; makes first start back for trainer who doesn’t have a great record off of this kind of layoff, but he may turn out to be pretty good. FREUD’S FRIEND just held on to win debut sprinting on grass, and he may have helped himself by bumping the runnerup there a couple of times, and he came right back to get a stakes placing in the Skidmore, though he was really no match there; starts back sprinting for trainer who is very good off the layoff.

THIRD RACE

TUG OF WAR wheels right back in after re-finding one of his good races off the Rudy claim to easily handle a field of $10k claimers that was better than anything he will be facing here last Sunday; tough if just running that race back, and he can handle this slightly shorter distance. PUPPY MANNERS did not run all that well in three starts over the inner dirt following a layoff, but he has much better races than that to get to, and he has run well in both starts over this track, including a game win over this trip and at this level last April; main threat off the Englehart re-claim. TIZ LONG GONE a question mark taking a big class drop for his return from a long layoff after getting dusted in three straight tries in stakes company last summer; 3-for-4 on dirt in non-stakes races, but have to wonder if we’ll get any improvement out of him now. ACKERET a contender dropping back down in class, but he hasn’t won a race in a long time, and his last few races have been uninspiring.

FOURTH RACE

FLYOFF was green right from the start in GP debut that was dominated by the 1-2 finishers up close, but he put in a little run around the outside around the turn before tiring in the stretch; lands in an interesting field here, but that looked like a race that could have done him some good. EL TALENTO off the layoff for Pletcher after being defeated as the favorite in his lone start as a 2yo, but he managed to find all kinds of traffic in that race, and it was too late to make an impact once he finally did come clear; well-bred colt a threat to come back firing. STORM TEAM can be forgiving for soft-chase 2nd to Secretary of War around two-turns last time, as that horse came back to win the Woodhaven here last weekend, and there is an argument to be made that he is better going shorter; liked the late run he put in on debut, but not sure how much better it gets for him from here. TOWNIE debuts for trainer who won’t win with many first time out, but he is a Speightstown out of a half-sister to the multiple Grade 1-winning turf horse Get Stormy.

FIFTH RACE

ADMIRAL BLUE posted lone career win over a wet track after a perfect trip, but he went forward from