SIXTH RACE

Will never forget a phrase from the old graded-line in the DRF or some such - “No clue in puzzler.” Couldn’t fit better. Hard to say who will be favored, hard to guess who will lead, and just hard to predict how this long-distance F & M turf allowance will turn out. WITEZ fits in several categories and the long run to the first turn could give the rider time to find some position after breaking from post 12, but I still think they could get hung wide. Ran all right over nine furlongs but not a lot of evidence this 9 1/2-furlong trip will suit. HOW IRONIC was eighth but beaten only 3 1/2 lengths in the Hillsboro and ran well over the KEE lawn last season. Only a 4yo and a filly with upside, but what she does not have is anything like tactical pace. NICENO is by miler Karakontie and tries something farther than 1 1/16 miles for the first time, but she acts like a filly who won’t mind added ground and is lightly raced with nothing so far but solid showings.

SEVENTH RACE

Mischiefful was defeated 4/15 in a KEE N1X allowance but lost only by a neck and earned an 87 Beyer, which makes GOODNIGHT OLIVE look really tough here. Olive broke from the rail in a bulky field debuting at GP and was second only to the aforementioned filly. Has kept to a steady work pattern since and this ought to be graduation day at a very short price. STAND BY YOU had two spots of trouble early in her career debut, which placed her well behind the entire pack of maidens opening week at KEE. All credit for making a sustained run to get third, but she was able to save ground and get through without incident following the early trouble, and that did not seem like a strong maiden contest. COED has zipped a couple sharp works in final preps for her unveiling; likely to be overlooked in the betting.

EIGHTH RACE

Paceless grass feature and if WINTER SUNSET is asked to run out of the gate, it could be she who seizes the early lead and dictates the tempo. Poor run in her long-layoff comeback last year but the last start at Fair Ground, which came with ample trouble, was much better. Should be a very fair price. FIGURE IT OUT and Sally’s Curlin look like the main players if this is rained onto dirt, and I’ll side with MTO Figure It Out. DADDY IS A LEGEND drowns these if she can come close to her peak form from 2019. Did catch soft turf in poor comeback run last year and was better second time out, and connections surely could have retired her this winter if the early signs in training weren’t positive. Suspect she comes back with a representative showing, but just can’t quite stomach the short price given the circumstances.

NINTH RACE

LADY FROSTED cuts back from a route and didn’t appear to stay, and gets a reasonable drop down to $50K maidens after three MSW runs. She hooked the very fast Euphoric, who wired the field, in her most recent MSW sprint. PETTIGO GIRL’s class rise off two synthetic races coincides with some lively local works; sneaky. COAL SHAFT is the other MSW dropper but Lady Frosted might be a longer win price and is the preferred one of the two chalks.