ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 7, CONSTANTINO

FIRST RACE

CASH ADVANCE is switching from turf to the Tapeta off a good comeback race, while moving out to a two-turn distance that he can handle. Hoyte and trainer Peter Berringer recently scored with a horse competing second-time off a long layoff. TARA CITIZEN is dropping to a new low and shortening up a little off a troubled third going nine furlongs. FRAT PARTY looks next best off a distant fourth behind the latter in a $15K seller.

SECOND RACE

WHAT’S THE RUSH is dropping sharply off a stalking third vs. OS/$40K maidens for her third start off the bench. The Nick Nosowenko homebred is finally getting the chance to string some races together. TYPICALLY, a 30-start maiden with 14 shares, is a must-use underneath in the gimmicks. She had a wide journey over an inside-biased track when fifth in a recent $10K sprint. CAPTURE THE MOMENT is bred for the grass on the dam’s side.

THIRD RACE

THREEFIFTYSEVEN closed for fourth behind two next-out winners, most notably Victoria Stakes victor Ready to Repeat, in his five-furlong debut on the inner turf. He could find the mark with the addition of Lasix in this six-furlong maiden special on the main track. MOUNTAIN KING has been working bullets on the dirt at Ellis Park for the trainer who won last Saturday’s My Dear Stakes with a Kentucky shipper who was ridden by Contreras. BEYOND BORDERS rode a golden rail to a distant fourth in his opening race.

FOURTH RACE

It’s been a long time between drinks for CAT ZAPPER, who raced towards the inside over an outside-biased track when third in his latest on the Tapeta. His two inner turf tries last year weren’t bad, and he could make some noise under Crawford, who won four races at Fort Erie last Tuesday. KISSOFFIRE is changing surfaces to one he can handle following back-to-back conditioned-claiming victories. RAVEN’S CRY should be favored in his first grass outing off a big NW3 score. His sire, Victor’s Cry, was a G1 turf stakes winner, and his dam won on the lawn.

FIFTH RACE

READY SOUL rode an inside bias to a chalky thirdplace finish the only time he saw action on the Tapeta in October. The son of top turf sire More Than Ready is bred for the lawn on the dam’s side, and the Fipke homebred has been working right along. CHECKERBOARD FLOOR completed a series of five-furlong drills with a bullet :59.20 last weekend on the Tapeta. THY KINGDOM is by the good debut/turf sire Animal Kingdom, and his pedigree leans towards speed on the dam’s side. ENTRY TO HEAVEN is out of a stakes-winning turf expert.

SIXTH RACE

TOOK A WRONG TURN worked quickly from the gate last weekend for a trainer who’s better at first asking than her recent stats would suggest. The January foal by the good 13% debut sire Souper Speedy is a half-brother to the juvenile winner Lakeside Park ($40K). PINK GELATO is competing on short rest off a neck loss as the favorite in a shorter sprint. IMA SILENT FORCE closed mildly for fourth behind the promising All Canadian in his short debut, from which the third horse exited to win PINK GELATO’s opener.

SEVENTH RACE

CONSTANTINO bounced off his gutsy comeback triumph at this level on the inner turf most recently in a $25K claimer on the Tapeta. The 16-time winner has been successful on the main

turf, and figures to rebound for the meet’s leading grass trainer Drexler. BIG LEAGUE has scored twice at the meet in front-running style, in Tapeta races which sandwiched a stalking second to the top choice. SLIP KID was jostled after breaking outward en route to winning a similar event two weeks ago. Kimura replaces Stein, who’s sticking with BIG LEAGUE.

EIGHTH RACE

FOXXY BELLE is dropping back down to the optional-claiming level at which she won three in a row off back-to-back fringe finishes in graded stakes company. She could sit a lovely stalking trip under regular rider Stein before going in for the kill. VEIL closed belatedly for third last time out going five-eighths on the inner turf. Note that all four of her victories came on synthetics. MISS SAVVY could get the better of SWEET YARE N DIRA in the projected front-end battle.

DANCING DEREK is debuting off a winter/spring layoff after getting claimed by Drexler Dec. 11, when he closed for second on the Tapeta. Note that he broke his maiden over this tight course and distance in September. VICTOR’S DESTINY placed in two of his four outings at the meet, all on the main track, including a recent second under Simon Husbands. AMNESTY figures to be a speed threat, and MC CULLEY could round out the super.

TENTH RACE

ANIMAL KRACKERS rallied inside on his left lead for an improved second when dropping to this $15K maiden class a month ago. The son of Animal Kingdom is bred for the grass on the sire’s side.

VALUABLE PILLOW is turning back off a threelength loss in a two-turn inner turf tilt at this level.

GIVE ME AN EYE got away slowly before closing from far back for third in his decent debut on the Tapeta. THE NEWFIE EXPRESS is adding blinkers and Simon Husbands for the turnback and class plunge.