ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 10, ADIOS AMIGOS

FIRST RACE

INDOCTRINATE and GAROPPOLO debuted in the first 2yo race of the meet on opening day and they were outpaced early behind impressive Pletcher firster Prisoner (85 Beyer) before finishing 3rd and 4th respectively without making an impact. INDOCTRINATE got forward from the gate in that race before then 1-2 finishers sped clear and he should be able to build on the experience as he moves inside. GAROPPOLO has come back with a pair of improve works, including a quick threefurlong breeze last week. WINFROMWITHIN a $100k Into Mischief colt with a couple of local works under his belt, including a solid-looking breeze from the gate last month; has turf on the bottom of his pedigree but expecting him to be ready for Pletcher.

SECOND RACE

TAKE CHARGE TINA was claimed out of a dirt sprint for this tag last October and went on to win twice at Gulfstream over the winter; returns to NY with some class relief after earning the best figures on her career in her last two starts and she projects for another good trip in this spot. BLUE ATLAS went on a losing streak after winning back to back turf sprints as a 2yo but she scored over a mile at Pimlico in her first start for this trainer last May and then went on to hold her own vs. some better horses prior to the layoff; starts back on the drop with some speed. BEACH DREAMING has been facing weaker out of town and her new trainer, who does an excellent job overall, is just 2 for his last 48 with turf runners, but her overall form is solid and she fits with this group on figures.

THIRD RACE

LOOKBOTHWAYS was off the layoff last time when forced to chase a fast pace from the rail and tiring in the stretch as the favorite; should be tighter for her second start back as she returns at the same level in a race without as much speed and she was in good form prior to the break. BIG BENNYS TRIBUTE lightly-raced with the races to contend but she figures to be a short price based on connections as she makes her first start in over 100 days; tough in here if ready off the bench. MOVIE SCORE exits the same race as the top one and, while she sat a nice trip away from that fast pace early, she did get stopped trying to split horses in the upperstretch, before finishing gamely to just fall short; threat second off the layoff and she is going to be a fair price once again.

FOURTH RACE

It has been best to tread a little lightly with the ex-Servis runners like KEOTA but that may be mitigated somewhat with this mare turning up in Chad’s barn and she is clearly going to be tough in this spot with anything close to her good race; drops out of a pair of solid efforts in stakes company and has the best recent figures in this field by a mile. TIPLE is also getting class relief for this after facing better recently in Florida, including a solid runnerup effort two back at a price; closing sprinter has run well in NY in the past, she just needs some pace. JEN’S BATTLE ran well in each of her first two turf starts last summer without winning then dropped in class at the end of the year and easily broke her maiden after sitting a perfect trip; backed that race up well when once again winning easily off the layoff and she likely has more improvement in her.

FIFTH RACE

With plenty of speed signed on to this solid $32k claimer, REED KAN is going to need a trip from the rail but he was sharp while returning to form off the layoff last time and he does have the back races to strongly contend in this spot; was no match for EYE LUV LULU when they met last Janu

ary but that race was contested over the kind of wet track that the latter relishes and REED KAN had to be hard-used in that race to make the lead. EYE LUV LULU the class in this field with stakes credentials behind him and over $900k in the bank but he hasn’t exactly been a win machine lately and he is taking a significant drop for this in his first start away from Servis in nearly three years; likely too tough with his best and a wet track would certainly move him up but there are questions.

SPOKANE EAGLE won twice for $25k at Oaklawn earlier this year and looked poised for a third win of 2020 last time when taking that CD sprint over without resistance last time, before proving to be no match late; has the back form to be tough in here but, like many of the other main contenders here, he is more of a speed-type. TOPPER T hasn’t really panned out since the private purchase as a 2yo but he has been facing much better ad has the right running style for this race.

SIXTH RACE

SPICE IS NICE won first time out as though the price paid for her as a yearling might be a wise investment and she backed that impressive debut win up quite well when pairing up her 84 Beyer running 2nd in the Grade 2 Davona Dale; wasn’t a factor in her two-turn debut last time but she did not have an easy trip in that race, which was dominated on a slow pace by Swiss Skydiver, perhaps the divisional leader at this point; takes a step back looking very much like the horse to beat. TONAL VISION hasn’t run fast yet but she won her route debut with a game late finish into a moderate pace and she returned from the break last time to once again close with strong momentum into modest fractions; must improve vs. this field but is heading the right way and will be a price. SAY MOI has earned solid figures for her first two starts and she ran well in both of those races; was only secondbest to a sharp winner on debut and she returned to easily handle maidens from just off the pace last time; not sure she is ready to stretch out just yet but she has the pedigree to handle more ground.

SEVENTH RACE

MAGNOLIA’S LADY looked lime a filly in need of a race first time out - something that is not unusual for this trainer - as she failed to break sharply from the gate and then wasn’t rushed early; got free of some traffic in the stretch and put in a game finish without threat in what appeared to be a useful debut for a trainer who excels with horses like this; her future may lie on dirt but this is the second time she has been entered back on turf since that promising debut. SNICKET looked green behind a fast and contested pace on dirt first time out then went favored in her turf debut and was held off late by longshot winner Hunnybunnerdini in an improved run; tries again. PURE BODE is by a sire who wins with 12% of his turf sprint runners and he has real pedigree for this on the bottom, being a half-brother to the crack turf sprinter Pure Sensation, who also races for these owners; Hennig is underrated with his first-time starters overall but is 0 for his last 39 debuting on turf - though it is worth noting that he has had five horses finish 2nd in that sample and several of them were big prices.

EIGHTH RACE

Would prefer that DANNY CALIFORNIA wasn’t part of an entry but do think he has improved since being claimed by these connections despite having only one win to show for it; like this distance for him and while he was a no-threat 3rd last time in the mud, he had no real shot in that race which was dominated in the front-end. BOURBON BAY has made each of his four starts since the maiden win vs. stakes company and had three placings to show for it, including a dead-heat for 2nd in the Jerome behind Independence Hall; stretching back out for his second start following the break but needs to get out of the gate cleanly, which has been something of an issue for him. BIG THICKET sat a perfect trip vs. weaker off the layoff last time but he won that race convincingly once pushing his way clear and earned p Beyer in the process; has won routing before.

NINTH RACE

I’LLHANDALTHECASH has run well in every one of her starts sprinting on turf to date and her two most recent starts are both better than they look on paper; she failed to break sharply and then appeared to lose focus in the stretch of the Captiva Island two back, and she took the worst of things in a roughly run race last time while running right into a drifting leader inside the final furlong to lose her best chance. GETMOTHERAROSE won three in a row over this course and distance while improving rapidly last year; carried that form with her to Aqueduct in November and then all the way to Gulfstream over the winter, where she became a graded stakes winner; around two turns; cuts back and gets needed class relief after landing in over her head vs. Newspaperofrecord last time. DALIKA shipped over from Germany last year and held her own with the 3yo filly turf set, winning an allowance over nine furlongs and just missing in a pair of stakes over yielding ground later in the season; returned from the layoff sprinting on firm turf and finished strongly from off the pace to run over Mentality, who shipped here to win the Hessonite late week with an 88 Beyer; dangerous right back with Rosario sticking.

TENTH RACE

ADIOS AMIGOS was returning from a long layoff when dropped in class on dirt last time and he ran very well there while making his first start for Terranova to be 2nd best; ran well in all three races on turf last year while facing better than this. SHANDIAN also faced better on turf last year as a 2yo, before dropping in class later in the season on dirt; returned to NY to face maiden claimers sprinting on this surface for the first time last month and he was in with a shot in the stretch before getting outfinished late; don’t think this race is as tough as that last one. MOMMIE’S JEWEL caught a sloppy track for his debut back in January and never made an impact in a race he likely needed; drops right away switching to turf an, while he isn’t by a turf sire he does have pedigree for this on the bottom.