ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 5, HONOR N INTEGRITY

FIRST RACE

SYNDICATE SAVER regressed in terms of Beyers in his local debut but that may well have been attributable to the fact that he wasn’t on the best part of that sloppy track, as the rail seemed to be deeper than the outer paths; expecting him to rebound in this opener. LONELY WEEKEND is another coming off a sub-par effort, but he had his share of trouble; big drop in class adds to the appeal. ACCUSING benefited from a forward trip in a race lacking pace but he has to be respected off the Beyer he posted there.

SECOND RACE

REPEAT REPEAT has the tactical speed to establish position immediately in this turf route, and that’s no small consideration given the relative lack of pace in the field; can steal this if able to shake loose easily enough and back down the fractions. BRUCARITA was moving very well through the lane in that last try at Keeneland, and he’s the main threat in the lane today; would be the top pick if there were just a little more speed in this lineup. FEARLESS DRAGON has enough early zip to at least stay close; could get first run on the top pick.

THIRD RACE

TOP SOLDIER, the first starter out of a winless dam, has some decent work showing for his career debut, breezes good enough to suggest he’ll come out running for trainer Juan Serey; needs an alert break from the fence. MR. JOLIN is out of a dam who was best on turf but he has shown some early zip in the mornings; some of the barn’s best work is with horses in Maiden Special Weight sprints. PRENDIMI turns back from a route and fits nicely with these based on the figures he earned in his two sprint tries to date.

FOURTH RACE

ALEXANDER DAVID benefited from a duel up front but he was closing well enough through the lane in that local bow, and he should get at least some help from the pacesetters in this one as well; eligible to make the last run under Gallardo, who picks up the mount. ATAWAY MAX was no threat when up the course in his most recent but he raced well off the pace early in a race which resulted in a twospeed exacta; also may have needed that one off the bench. MAJOR ANTHEM is on the AE list but he’s one to consider if he gets to run in his first start vs. winners, as he overcame trouble to break his maiden easily at Pimlico last time out.

FIFTH RACE

HONOR N INTEGRITY weakened after prompting the pace in his first start since last August but he was against the race flow there, as the closers held the edge in that pace-filled field; that doesn’t seem to be the case today, and if he can outrun JERSEY JOE B for the lead he could prove tough to reel in. The latter benefited from a lack of speed to score on the front end in his first start off the layoff; respect the figure but he’s more likely to regress off that Beyer than move forward in his 2nd start back. BLUEGRASS POSSE turns back to a sprint but has enough speed to stay close, and could in fact be ideally spotted off the top pair off the turn.

AURIGA is kin to five winners, including Lucky Livi, a multiple stakes winner, albeit in dirt sprints; dam herself was also a sprinter but sire Dunkirk gets decent returns with his runners trying turf for the first time. REINA LA KELSY was blanked in eight prior tries on the green but she has decent figures on this surface; rallied some against the race flow two back, and she was caught up in a duel last time. MRS. MET has steady figures and could be on the verge on a move forward on the stretch-out and class drop.

SEVENTH RACE

MEADOW VERDI is out of a dam who won seven races, five of them dirt sprints, and she produced Ding, a three-time winner; another firster from Juan Serey on the card, and this gelding’s stock rises if Top Soldier runs well for this barn in today’s third race. GROOVY TALE was well meant for his first start off the bench last time but a slow start and a race-long duel cost him; the horse he tussled with early, WAR TALES, is back in here, but if they can avoid another long battle on the lead he is more than capable. AMATTEROFTIME moves to the barn of Jason Servis, who clicks at a high rate with all types but especially with new faces; also picks up Paco Lopez.

EIGHTH RACE

BEN OF THE BRIDGE landed in a fairly paceless race in his last try on the turf, making his late run through the back of the field better than it may appear on paper; rained off the grass in each of his last two but he does seem to prefer this surface. CANDY ASSET has steady turf figures and drops in for a tag for the first time this year; the one to beat based on those Beyers, and the class relief. DANGEROUS WOMAN has decent early zip and will look to shake loose; she was up the track in her latest when also in against males but it’s easy to forgive that dull effort, as she clearly is better on the green and that was her first start of the year.

NINTH RACE

CHOVANES was sharp in defeat when last seen, outrunning other speeds and opening up a big lead down the backstretch only to be run down in the late stages; looms the main speed in this one as well and he now switches to from the 10 pound apprentice to Ferrer, who is enjoying a strong meet, especially when teamed with Jorge Navarro. NO MORE MUSIC is the one to fear late as he takes a class drop; ran deceptively well in both of his two sprint tries at this meet, showing good late interest, and he is possibly one to use in equal strength with the top pick in horizontal wagers. SALEM LOOP doesn’t win often but he’s been picking up checks lately, and he figures to make his presence felt in the lane today.

TENTH RACE

LIFT UP and jockey Mario Pino ship up from Pimlico off a sharp win in her seasonal debut last time, posting a Beyer which very much puts her in the middle of this; tactical speed a big plus in the Miss Liberty, which figures to feature an above-average pace. MAGIC HATTER is another who stands to benefit from the expected race flow; she’s up in class for this but with the right set up she may be good enough. PARTY BOAT likely stayed in the Politely despite the race being switched from the turf only because she needed a race, as she had not started since November; clearly the one to beat today back on the green, presumably, though she could be overbet some for a filly making her 2nd start off the layoff.

ELEVENTH RACE

BLUE Y GOLD ran a big race for the place behind Huntington Drive last time out, rallying nicely for the place in a race where the speeds held the edge, thanks to a relative lack of pace in the race (note bold “S” in DRF pp’s); should get an improved race flow today, and he has license to run them all down if he gets it. R LIMO JOE is one of the primary speeds for trainer Jorge Navarro, and he will be tough to catch if he’s able to get loose without much pressure on the lead; sharp in victory in his latest. HUNTINGTON DRIVE certainly benefited from a forward trip in that win last time but the 85 Beyer he earned gives him credibility with this field; Bravo back aboard.

TWELFTH RACE

WROTE TO A DIVA was off slowly, then made a bold bid down the backstretch to reach the leaders before weakening late; perhaps with a clean getaway she can rebound in this sprint, possibly at a decent price. MY SWEET PEA adds blinkers after flashing speed and tiring in her bow; she meets a similarly weak field, and trainer Greg Sacco does historically does well when adding the hood. BREATH OF DAWN is another adding blinkers; she comes out of a weak sprint but she does have license to move up in only her 4th career start, and with the equipment change.