ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 10, PLAN OF ATTACK

FIRST RACE

BRAMBLE QUEEN went down in a spill at Woodbine last time but apparently emerged unscathed, as she comes back two weeks later and appears to be the one to beat in the opener; she didn’t run badly at all in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa two back despite running against the race flow and the resulting Beyer gives her strong credibility. XENOBIA could be the main speed; she stopped on a loose lead in her latest but she could be in line for a step forward in her third start off the layoff. STORY TIME makes her seasonal debut but merits a look based on her best figures; she has more speed than she showed in her last few before the break and she figures to be closer to the pace today given the relative lack of pace in this short field and her inside draw.

SECOND RACE

LATER CAT is a little obvious after the near-miss and the solid Beyer at Saratoga in his latest but the fact is he’s going to be tough here if he runs back to that effort in his 2nd start off the short break; figures to be ideally spotted off the inside speeds from the start. FLEET WARRIOR was overmatched when last seen but he has license to rebound on the class drop; especially dangerous if he can shake loose and control the tempo from the start. RICARDITO cuts back to a sprint and he did run well for 2nd three back when last at this distance.

THIRD RACE

SHOO SHINE was hurt by the rail draw in his debut, as many inexperienced runners are, but he moves outside and is confidently placed at a higher level by trainer Mike Dini, who does very well (32%, $3.35 ROI) with horses making the second starts of their career; improvement expected. FIRE’S FINALE is back in for a tag after trying better and longer at Laurel last time out; fits well on the strength of that runnerup effort two back, a race run under conditions similar to today’s. BEAU BRIDGE is in for a tag for the first time and figures to show speed once again despite removing the blinkers; best Beyers of his short career came when he raced without the hood in his first two starts.

FOURTH RACE

WILDCATTIN had lots of trouble in his last try on the turf, two back, and he in fact lost any chance after breaking very slowly and then running into traffic and steadying some; he showed late interest once clear and he is a candidate to take a big step forward today with a clean trip. AWSUM ROAR is a professional turf sprinter and the one to beat based on his best figures under these conditions; he has the speed to lead as well as the ability to rate, a typical quality of successful grass sprinters. SNOW FORECAST has improved greatly since switching back to grass in his last two, a pair of solid efforts; could still be getting better with experience on this surface.

FIFTH RACE

BAZOO rises in class off the claim by trainer Pat McBurney but he lands in a seemingly ideal spot in terms of pace, as there is a fair amount of speed to his inside and he has the tactical early zip to sit the trip right behind them; stalked the pace nicely in that last win at this distance. HIGHWAYTWENTYSEVEN benefited from soft pace scenarios in those last two but he merits respect on the strength of the Beyers he posted in those races, a win and a runner-up finish; will be involved from the start under Gallardo but needs to avoid a duel with the three runners to his immediate right. GADAGO isn’t easy to take as a win candidate, as he has been looking for his 2nd career win for a long time, but he can grab a late part if the fractions are quick and contested, as expected.