ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 4, GONE GLIMMERING

FIRST RACE

SPEIGHTSTOWN GAL faced NY-breds for the first time on turf when brought back from a layoff last month and she impressed winning that race with a strong move, after sitting off a contested pace early; the fillies that ran at her late before finishing 2nd and 3rd returned in the same race up here last Sunday and finished 1-2 in a race that came back with an 84 Beyer. JC’S SHOOTING STAR is a rocksolid sprinter on either surface and she is taking significant class relief for this after facing stakes rivals in four of her last five starts; needs some pace. A LITTLE FAITH has shown some potential while winning two of her first five starts, with both victories coming over sprint distances; has a layoff to overcome here, and she was listed as a vet scratch on 6/19 at Belmont, but she won as a first time starter and has tactical speed.

SECOND RACE

MUNNINGS MUSE debuted in a fast race last June (87 Beyer for the winner) and finished a good 2nd after chasing the pace from the outside all the way; didn’t make it back to the track after that, so has a long layoff to deal with here, but she returns with lasix on for a trainer who has solid numbers off of longer layoffs. VIVAZANO landed in a pretty tough race for the level on debut and finished a good 3rd after battling on the pace all the way; caught a very wet track in a race that was run in a downpour last time and returns quickly while reuniting with Castellano. Things haven’t gone all that well for NEW YORK SUPREME since making a somewhat promising debut last November, where she showed good speed and just failed to last going 6.5 furlongs; better than she looks on paper and can be a pace factor in this race as she returns from the layoff.

THIRD RACE

SISTERCHARLIE makes her first start since the Breeders’ Cup going a distance that is shorter than her best, but she towers over this field on form as the champion filly/mare turf horse of 2018 and a 7-time Grade 1 winner; has won off the layoff in much tougher races each of the last two years, including a Jenny Wiley over this distance in 2018. STARSHIP JUBILEE the main threat to the favorite, as she has tactical speed and is also a Grade 1 winner; was in good form prior to getting a break in March. CALL ME LOVE was a group winner in Italy prior to shipping over and she ran fine in her stateside debut while sucking up for a no-threat 2nd behind Rushing Fall; cuts back after disappointing last time.

FOURTH RACE

GONE GLIMMERING looked pretty good winning her first two starts, despite not earning much in the way of figures for those efforts, then placed in a couple of stakes at the end of her 2yo campaign after finishing a no-threat 4th in a Grade 1; dropped for her second start off the layoff last time and settled for second-best to her favored stablemate after showing improved speed with blinkers on. SPANISH POINT looked good winning the first two starts of her career late last year, including the House Party at Gulfstream; faced better off the layoff two back, and was conservatively ridden in that spot before failing to threaten a front-running winner, but something clearly went wrong last time and she is dropped right away. LADY C earned the top figure in this field two back when finishing 2nd to the rock-solid NY-bred Timely Tradition, who came back to NY to make it three in a row last month while winning with an 81 Beyer; drops following a no-excuse loss as the favorite at Thistledown last time.

FIFTH RACE

THREE OUTLAWS returned from a layoff to make his turf debut here last summer and put in a good finish to rally for 4th, then got a wide trip when disappointing a bit in his next start; still a maiden on grass but his most recent turf start was another solid effort while closing strongly too late. SIR ALFRED JAMES debuted for $50k on dirt and won that race pretty handily with a 78 Beyer; halfbrother to multiple Grade 1 turf winner Got Stormy switches to grass for his second start. OUR TROUBADOUR is light on figures coming in but he has run well in all four turf starts, including that blowout win from off the pace 22 days ago; has tactical speed from the rail.

SIXTH RACE

COLTANDMISSISSIPPI has a trip over that wet track two back then was defeated as the favorite last time, but didn’t run poorly in what turned out to be a tough race for the level with the 1st, 2nd and 4th place finishers all returning to win and confirming that figure; not sure six is his best distance but there is speed in here and he should be a fair price as he leaves Rudy’s barn. AUTOSTRADE remains in Rudy’s barn and he is interesting in here as he turns back out of a route at Belmont where he wound up in a fast duel with Leitone; needs his best vs. this field. MALPAIS hasn’t been all that competitive since posting his most recent win last April at Charles Town, but there is a layoff involved and he has been facing much better horses; drops.

SEVENTH RACE

PROVEN STRATEGIES faces a field of potential here as he drops out of a solid effort for 2nd behind divisional leader Decorated Invader in the Pennine Ridge, but he just looks tough in this spot based on his overall form; he has improved as a 3yo after running quite well in a pair of Grade 1s at the end of last year and has the tactical speed to get his trip. MAROON MANIAC debuted on turf at Tampa and finished an excellent 2nd to the talented Domestic Spending while rallying along the rail; has a dirt pedigree so it was no surprise to see him burying maidens on that surface last time while upping his figure. LONESOME FUGITIVE raced greenly but finished fast for 2nd in his debut at Gulfstream early in the year; got some time after that race and took a step forward while once again coming with a strong rally to break his maiden over a wet turf course last time.

EIGHTH RACE

DYNAMAX PRIME has lost nine straight since taking his first two starts for this trainer last May, but his form has not tailed off at all during that stretch while finishing 2nd to Mr. Buff four times in NY-bred stakes races; projects to have some pace to run at here, which he needs, and the distance is no issue. PARSIMONY struggled to break his maiden but his connections thought enough of him to run in several graded stakes prior to picking up that initial win; easily scored over 10 furlongs after a stalking trip in Meydan earlier this year and he just finished a solid 3rd after putting away the aforementioned Mr. Buff in the Suburban last time. PRIORITIZE began with some promise on turf before failing to pan out; switched to the main track late last year and his form has ticked back up with a win and a pair of 2nds with improving figures; good run for 2nd last time in a race that was controlled on the front end by heavily-favored It’s All Relevant.

NINTH RACE

SIMPLY broke his maiden first time out over a mile and did so despite looking a bit green in the early stages of that race; turned back for his NY debut off the layoff and caught some traffic coming to the stretch in a race that was run at a fast pace, before gamely getting 3rd; stretches back out with upside. BARLEEWON didn’t run poorly in his turf debut up here last summer and he has clearly improved so far as a 3yo; projects for another good trip as he steps up off the maiden win. STANHOPE stretched out for his final start as a 2yo last November and won easily with a 70 Beyer after getting right up on a rated pace; tough post for his 3yo debut but he appears to have plenty of upside for a high percentage trainer.

TENTH RACE

FIRENZE FIRE didn’t run one of his fastest races when getting back on track in the True North last time, but he didn’t have to while winning comfortably vs. weaker; more than held his own vs. the top sprinters in the country throughout 2019 and he showed last time that he can do it for his new trainer. VOLATILE has put plenty of raw talent on display while winning four of five to begin and he hung up a big 112 Beyer while becoming a stakes winner last time; faced only four others here but three of them are Grade 1 winners. WHITMORE is showing that he can still do it as a 7yo with two stakes wins and a 104 Beyer already in 2020; won a Grade 1 over this track a couple of years ago and he is adaptable to different pace scenarios.

ELEVENTH RACE

TIMELESS JOURNEY debuted at Belmont last month and looked like a horse in need of some experience in that spot after getting bumped at the start and then having to stay to the inside while in some traffic for most of the running; drops for redhot connections. BROVIA was entered main track only in her debut and did no running; returned for this tag on turf off the layoff and got very unlucky in that spot while pinned in behind horses throughout the stretch, before ultimately having to steady late; big rider change for this. GO ZAPPEM returned from a long layoff to make her turf debut last October and did not get a good trip or ride in that spot while finishing a no-threat 6th; improved in her next start to engage in a long battle for the lead and only weakening late in a race that ultimately went to closers.