ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 5, MARYANORGINGER

FIRST RACE

First post is 12:40 ET. Remember 12% takeout on Pick 5 wagers. DANCINGWITHPAYNTER steps up in class, but the gray mare is in sharp form with three wins from her last five races and she should get a hot pace to attack in this spot. Won like an odds-on shot should 16 days ago at Penn National as she was taken four wide on the backstretch, looped the field turning for home and was on her way. Also want to use FED UP FIRED UP, PLATINUM PAYNTER and GLAMOROUS THUNDER in multiple-race wagers. Fed Up Fired Up worked out a nice pace-tracking, ground-saving trip to defeat entry-level allowance runners last month. That trip isn’t very likely breaking from an outside post position, but she is another that should appreciate the expected quick early tempo. Platinum Paynter has been on fire with four wins from her last five starts and it’s good to see her back again on relatively short rest. She has the tactical speed to find a spot just off the early leaders and handles any kind of footing. Glamorous Thunder must avoid being cooked on the pace, but she held pretty gamely after taking an early challenge three furlongs from home at Monmouth on September 20.

SECOND RACE

MORE TWIRL has been knocking on the door since being dropped to the $25,000 level and thought he gave a pretty good account of himself in most recent outing. Hung out four wide all the way around the turn, he was still in with a chance turning for home and finished evenly for a minor placing. Needs slight Beyer boost, but that’s not out of the question as he is still pretty lightly-raced. SUGAR DADDY looms the one to catch and beat after fine debut try, albeit 132 days ago. Bumped leaving the gate, he then went right up to set a fast and contested pace along the inside. Couldn’t go with his pace challenger, 61 to 1 shot Karan’s Notion, turning for home but hung in there pretty well along the rail. The third-place finisher returned to run third on turf against special weights with a 64 Beyer before graduating on dirt for the $40,000 tag with a 72. Listed as a new gelding, Sugar Daddy is now in the high-percentage Claudio Gonzalez barn and should be tough to catch. SUMMER SOMEWHERE adds blinkers and cuts back in distance after just missing in final start as a 2-year-old. The winner of that race returned to beat starter-optionals 16 days later with a 60 Beyer. It’s possible he’ll need a start following the 339-day layoff.

THIRD RACE

With two wins at Laurel on Thursday, trainer Anthony Farrior is 12 for 41 (29%, $2.40 ROI) from September 15 to October 15 and he has another strong contender with newly-claimed UNION SONG. Lack of early speed might work against this Union Rags filly as she cuts back drastically in distance, but thought she ran okay at Churchill last time out. Saved ground at the back, split horses on the backstretch, dropped inside entering the second turn, altered course three deep in midstretch and was in a bit tight in between rivals late. Farrior is 6 for the last 11 (55%, $4.09 ROI) with older dirt horses off the claim including two route-to-sprint winners. McCarthy lands here instead of Magicgirl. ABOVE PAR has more tactical speed than the top pick and can avoid being outrun despite also turning back in distance. Takes a nice drop in class after finishing ahead of next-out winner Lucky Olivia Rose (by 4 1/4 lengths with a 59 Beyer in a Parx $16,000 “non-winners of two”). Cintron lands here instead of Olive’s Bumpa. All four main track races at Delaware on October 20 were won in gateto-wire fashion and WORSTBESTIDEAEVER actually passed some tired runners after trailing in the early stages. Like the top pick, this filly would appreciate some pace up front. ELOQUENT LADY gets some class relief and might revert to some of the speedy tactics that played well for her when in the Cal Lynch barn over the spring and summer.

FOURTH RACE

CHLOE ROSE ($80,000 yearling, $75,000 June juvenile) breezed a furlong in 10 1/5 seconds prior to the most recent auction and is by an excellent debut sire (Twirling Candy wins 20% with juvenile firsttime starters) out of a mare that won her first two starts. That dam is a half-sister to such precocious runners as juvenile stakes-winning dirt sprinter My Due Process and juvenile Grade 2-placed dirt sprinter Kong’s Revenge. Second dam was stakesplaced at two. Trainer Brittany Russell has won with 6 of her last 13 debut runners (46% winners, $3.98 ROI) including turf sprinter Adelaide Miss at Colonial on August 10. SWIRLING DANCER might

have more turf in her pedigree than the top pick as a half-sister to a first-turf winner out of multiple stakes-winning turf sprinter Sky High Gal. This is the family of multiple Grade 1-winning turf router Awad. Like this work tab and Toledo lands here instead of Nuuk. SUPERHELPFUL ($55,000 yearling) ran well in her lone turf sprint at Keeneland, then disappointed around two turns in her local debut. Washed off the grass last time, she deserves another chance sprinting. CHATELET showed good speed in her debut at Colonial, then hooked up in a pace battle when perhaps in a bit too tough at Woodbine. Expect early zip from the inside. MIKEY’S JEWEL ($50,000 weanling, $50,000 yearling RNA, $20,000 yearling RNA) is out of multiple stakes-placed dirt sprinter Mikey Likes It (won first two starts). TUNNEL STRIKE ($19,000 yearling RNA) is a half to juvenile stakes-placed dirt sprinter Sunrise Sunset (won debut) and juvenile stakesplaced turf router Rising Bella. FOOL YOURSELF ($3,000 yearling) is a half to stakes-placed turf router Waqqad (in Dubai). NUUK is a half-sister to stakes-placed turf router Jaubitcaba.

FIFTH RACE

MARYANORGINGER began her career like a filly with a big future. After stumbling terribly at the start of her debut in the $150,000 Astoria Stakes at Belmont, she was soon steadied along the inside and forced to chase from midpack along the rail. Undaunted, she split horses three wide turning for home and looked good fending off Perfect Alibi, a filly that returned to win both the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes (70 Beyer) and Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes (71 Beyer) before finishing second in the Grade 1 Alcibiades (74 Beyer). Missed the remainder of 2019 after reportedly suffering a stress fracture in a hind leg and her career has been of the start-and-stop variety ever since. Might be set for best in second start of form cycle for barn that is 7 for the last 27 (26%, $2.22 ROI) at Laurel. MARY’S JEWEL prompted the pace along the inside, eased out on a hard chase under urging on the turn and never gave up when just missing against starteroptional claimers. Claimed by Kieron Magee, she has a versatile running style and lots of experience. PRETTY EDGY hasn’t gotten any faster since very game victory on May 31, but she’s taken on pretty good company (the winner of her last start has now won three in a row by a combined 14 1/4 lengths) and has a ton of heart. COMBAT QUEEN and TWEET AWAY ROBIN both have the early speed to be prominent when they turn for home.

SIXTH RACE

Thought the rail was the place to be at Pimlico on October 1 and NATTY BEAU was up against it breaking from the widest post position and chasing sharp rail-skimming winner Nobody Knew (returned to beat $25,000 claimers by six lengths with a 67 Beyer). Gamely held the place once he dropped to the preferred inside footing and now adds blinkers for barn that is 3 for the last 8 (38%, $3.90 ROI) with juvenile dirt sprinters adding the hood in Laurel maiden claiming dirt sprints. Should have the speed to get right to the top. IT’S SIZZLING TIME ($1,000 yearling) is by a red-hot first-crop sire (Not This Time is 9 for 31 with debuters). Dam won three sprints and is a half-sister to stakes-winning turf router King Congie and juvenile stakes-winning dirt sprinter Chicks Dig Scars. IN THE TOP TEN was tossed to the wolves in his debut against winners (two next-out winners emerged from the First State Dash including 63-Beyer winner Meet Me At Mundis). Caught sloppy track that day and should benefit greatly from the experience.

SEVENTH RACE

LANDING ZONE has been on quite a roll for Claudio Gonzalez as she’s won her last three starts including recent two-turn test over sloppy going at Delaware. Tracked the pace along the inside on the first turn, went up to prompt the early leader from the outside on the backstretch, surged for home early under heavy urging at the five-sixteenths and had enough to hold off the late-runners. This is a tougher spot, but this filly has excellent tactical speed and shouldn’t be too far away from the leaders when the real racing begins. DAPHNE MOON hasn’t lost when running outside of stakes company and takes a drop into this optional claimer in first start following 170-day freshening. Scored in seasonal debut after 113 days on the bench when off a beat slow and sent up to press a four-ply pace while three wide and in between horses. Finished ahead of two next-out winners (fifth-finisher Gingham returned to win the Angel’s Flight Stakes at Santa Anita with an 85 Beyer, then placed third in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap with an 88) after making a five-wide bid into contention before flattening out in the Gardenia. She isn’t the greatest from the gate and must face elders for the first time, but this barn excels at Laurel with shippers. QUIET COMPANY stole away to an uncontested lead on the backstretch of recent restricted allowance victory and held sway in the final furlong. She’s won three of her last four starts and will likely try to make the running once again.

EIGHTH RACE

WITTY BANTER returns to the weeds after two okay outings, one of them at this nine-furlong distance, in off-the-turf events. Ran just fine in most recent grass performance at this level as she saved ground at the back of the pack, bid threewide on the second turn, altered course sharply to the inside turning for home and finished up evenly in between horses. That race produced three next-out winners. ZOLA B saved ground at the back of sprint debut, altered course eventually to the far outside and finished decently once clear. In her second start, she was shuffled out very badly along the inside entering the turn and again finished with some interest once free of traffic. Disappointed in most recent start when appearing to get hot in the preliminaries. She set the pace and just didn’t have any pop in the stretch. Big drop in class coupled with her tactical speed make her a major player. PEARLYVILLE is another getting some class relief and she might have been hurt by her far outside post position in most recent start. GOOD TEMPERED is out of a juvenile debut winner that was Grade 3-placed sprinting on dirt that season.