ANALYSIS

BEST BET: RACE 4, COMMUTE

FIRST RACE

ULTRAFLAME placed in all three of his races in the spring. Note that he won his last seven-furlong start in a restricted stakes last July. DASH OF DAZZLE is another closer with hanging tendencies who should have a say in the outcome. SPEEDY FOX could be the dominant speed in his first try under Hernandez.

SECOND RACE

FIELD OF COURAGE raced wide after getting away slowly en route to a three-length loss in his latest on the grass. He wired $40K claimers in his last Tapeta sprint excursion in a quick clocking April 30, and his tactical speed might come in handy in his first attempt over seven furlongs. SOMETHING AWESOME is turning back off a hanging third behind the talented duo of Gigantic Breeze and Nevaeh’s Valentine. MAJESTIC SLEW is putting his three-race win streak against easier on the line.

THIRD RACE

RANSOM ROSE should be a speed threat in her season opener. Her hot trainer has sent out a host of live layoff runners at the meet. DONNAS SWEET HEART is descending to a suitable spot while shortening up off fade job in a $40K route. WINNING SMILE is dropping from a key NW2 OS allowance/$40K claimer that contained four nextout winners. CANDY PHIL is also in with a shot.

FOURTH RACE

COMMUTE got a bit too aggressive last time while opening up on the turn and then blew a clear lead late to lose the G2 Connaught Cup by a whisker. The cutback to three-quarters should be ideal for him in this G2 fixture, which is a new Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In qualifier. Belmont-based GREEN MASK has maintained excellent form since his neck loss to Passion for Action in this stakes last year. Castellano was aboard when he took the G3 Turf Sprint two back at Churchill. CALGARY CAT rallied from far back to finish on the short end of a three-way win photo in the seven-furlong Connaught. Use COMMEND underneath in the exotics.

FIFTH RACE

THE OTHER BREEZE gave the others about a fivelength head-start before closing stoutly from left field to lose his mile and a sixteenth debut on the turf by a half-length. The well-bred 4yo has since worked twice on the Tapeta, including from the gate, and should be dangerous in this two-turn maiden special on the main track. GLENCAIRN awaited room briefly at the head of the stretch before ending up a distant third when adding Lasix in his improved last run. JIMMY HOT raced wide throughout after breaking from post 12 when sixth in his two-turn opener. Use him on the bottom of vertical bets, along with BILOXI BAY and HOLD’EMFORRANSOM.

SIXTH RACE

DRAGON BAY upset a troubled Are You Kidding Me last time in the G2 Eclipse on the Tapeta. His previous form on turf included a victory in a 100-grander for 3yos on soft turf at Belmont. His

days of lugging in through the stretch appear to be over. TOWER OF TEXAS won his season opener with determination in the G2 Connaught Cup, in which he threatened the course record for seven furlongs. The hard knocker is eligible to regress a little, but could still have a say in the outcome if he does. MONSTER BEA appears to be on an upward swing following a narrow loss in a tough optional claimer at Belmont. HOLLYWOOD HIDEAWAY was a surprising fourth in the Connaught Cup, after closing from well off a lively pace.

SEVENTH RACE

BOURBON FIRST was scratched from a starter allowance Friday to bulk up this N1X a little. He saved ground en route to running fourth in an identical spot three weeks ago, and is a decent fit from a Beyer perspective. SYNTHESIZE weakened to second after racing prominently in each of his last two N1X attempts. CITO can pick up some of the pieces.

EIGHTH RACE

REPORTING STAR comes off a leading second in a G3 stakes going a mile and a half at Churchill. Two of his seven wins came over this course, and he also finished a respectable fifth after a stalking trip in the G1 Canadian International in 2015. BANGKOK closed along the rail to win a 10-furlong optional claimer in his seasonal bow. The long-winded 6yo upset Melmich when taking the G3 Valedictory Dec. 4. BULLARDS ALLEY hasn’t found the mark since taking the G3 Louisville in May of last year, but could be a factor with Castellano taking over. ALDOUS SNOW, who has won this stakes twice, needs firm ground to strut his best stuff.

NINTH RACE

SUFFUSED lost a heartbreaker here in October in the G1 E.P. Taylor, traveling the 10-furlong distance of this G2 event. She displayed consistently good form prior to a recent fifth-place finish in the G2 New York at Belmont, and figures to rebound in the third race of her form cycle. RAINHA DA BATERIA looks next best off a troubled fourth in a G3 at Belmont won by Hawksmoor, who subsequently captured the New York. She nosed out her talented stablemate, Dacita, to win the G2 Canadian here in September. STARSHIP JUBILEE overcame a stumbling start to win her local debut decisively traveling a mile in the G2 Nassau. She’s questionable going this far, but could handle the rest on a repeat of that last one.

TENTH RACE

HOLY HELENA won the nine-furlong Woodbine Oaks convincingly with a 90 Beyer in just her third start June 11. The daughter of Ghostzapper has trained encouragingly in the interim, and could be any kind. INFLEXIBILITY was shuffled back in traffic on the far turn before closing belatedly for third as the Oaks favorite. Like HOLY HELENA, she’s a lightly-raced gal who appears to have lots of upside, and the 10-furlong distance of this prestigious event seems within her range. CHANNEL MAKER mounted a wide rally from off fast fractions to finish a clear second in his first synthetic track excursion in the G3 Marine, for which he got a 91 Beyer, the co-highest in this field. GUY CABALLERO closed on the outside to post an upset in the nine-furlong Plate Trial, which was run in a time just over a second slower than the Oaks on the same card. Use him underneath in the exotics, along with MALIBU SECRET, who’s donning blinkers and has worked nicely since ending up third in the Marine.

ELEVENTH RACE

JUPITER’S EAGLE lost a squeaker after hitting the front in mid-stretch in her much-improved second race off the bench. HAILEY’S PRIZE comes off a troubled turf experiment, in which she finished second for the seventh time in eight starts. A PIC BY MRWILL placed in each of her last two Tapeta starts. FLASHY KNICKERS is by a high-percentage debut sire.

TWELFTH RACE

YORKTON has been pointed to this overnight stakes since going coast-to-coast in the May 13 Queenston Stakes. He’s probably better on turf than his record would indicate, and he could make all the running under leading rider Da Silva. MADE YOU LOOK won a G3 stakes over the winter at Gulfstream, but was beaten in double digits in each of his last two outings. CITY BOY began slowly whlie his rider lost his irons before closing strongly for second last time in an N1X turf sprint. Like YORKTON, he’s a wild card over the one-mile distance. CONQUEST LEMONRAID is bred for the grass.

THIRTEENTH RACE

SIGNATURE DATA has worked quickly, and is bred to be a useful sprinter. He’s debuting with blinkers and Lasix. CHARMING VISION hung late after making the lead in the stretch when a close third at second asking. JAIL TIME and JUST RENO are logical for the lower rungs of tri and super wagers.