ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 7, TOMATO BISQUE

FIRST RACE

LADY AZALEA came three-wide from a stalking position to drop her six-furlong debut on turf by a neck to the promising Bold Script. Her esteemed trainer has excellent numbers with maiden second-timers, and this one should make some noise with Hernandez back in the saddle. SOUPER SCATDADDLE is by the superb 15% debut/turf sire Scat Daddy. The $300K weanling purchase is a full-sister to Pretty N Cool, a G2-winning sprinter on dirt. TOONIE LOONIE ran hot and cold in her two turf outings at Belmont. She should be a factor with blinkers on.

SECOND RACE

STILL IN FASHION placed as the favorite in each of her excursions, fading to third most recently after coming out on top in a front-end battle. Secondleading trainer McKnight possesses impressive stats when adding blinkers. DUBHE looks next best off a flat fourth in a slow-paced event at a notch higher in her fourth trip postward. UNUSUAL TIMES bombed in her $20K opener, but she deserves another chance in this $8K seller. Her fast May 26 gate drill was her best piece of work.

THIRD RACE

NIIGON’S LEGACY shook loose on the lead and never looked back to romp in a NW3 OS allowance/$40K claimer a month ago. That route was run in the speed-friendly lane 4, which is the same lane being used in this light N1X. SNIPPY never reached contention while taking the long way around when returning from the sidelines in a similar contest July 8, a race she probably needed. KADLEY didn’t fire on a brutally hot day June 30, but she was previously a fast-closing third in an N1X. Use the closer underneath in the exotics, along with BRIGHTER IDEAS and SAILOR’S THOUGHT.

FOURTH RACE

MIZZONA had a troubled trip when fourth in her penultimate start on the Tapeta, and she rallied from off slow fractions to finish a lapped-on third most recently on the lawn. She seems poised to put it all together under the bug Kimura, who’s 2 for 6 at the meet for this live barn. OCULIST could be the controlling speed in her first try off a $25K maiden triumph and a claim by Maker. HALO LAELIA is another front-running possibility off the McKnight claim, a high-percentage angle. Her last race contained two next-out winners. FLASHINTHEPANTS, who began slowly in her recent subpar showing, can pick up some of the pieces.

FIFTH RACE

KILLAG KATIE was a stalking second in a fast-paced event when stretching out to a route in her local debut July 8. Her trainer has solid numbers with turnbacks, and seven-eighths should hit this daughter of leading sire Candy Ride right between the eyes. ALNILAH raced in second all the way behind the sharp favorite in her much-improved fourth race off the bench July 7. Her form is more appealing if you ignore her two turf attempts. DAKOTA DIVA is changing surfaces while cutting back from a mile. She’s yet to run a bad one, and could round out the tri with Hernandez retaining the mount.

SIXTH RACE

SWAK didn’t show much off a layoff during a wide trip in her local debut June 30, but it’s a race she can build on here with the addition of blinkers and Hernandez. She should have an honest pace to chase if somebody goes with VEIL early. VEIL crushed maidens after setting lively fractions on a clear lead in her latest, earning her third straight Beyer in the low 70s in the process. PICASSO MOON could hang on for a share off the $32K claim by Fournier, who’s fared well with new shooters over the years. SAN NICOLA STORM isn’t out of her league here from a Beyer perspective, but her comeback score for $32K was almost too good to be true.

SEVENTH RACE

TOMATO BISQUE is making her first start off a rare claim by Day Phillips, who has worked her thrice leading up to this NW2 tilt. She has two speeds to track here under a hot Da Silva, who won 10 races last Friday-Sunday. DIRTY GIRL finished on the edges in the majority of her four starts at the meet, and should be along to pick up some of the pieces. The likely favorite, ENCHANTED TALE, is a needthe-lead type who could get softened up in a frontend battle with OPEONGO. The latter faded after leading the way over a turf course that hindered speed July 21. Use FIELD PARTY and SKY VISION in the lower rungs of all vertical wagers.