Teach
05-25-2015, 11:21 AM
Race One:
:5: One Sided has to his credit two races under his belt in a field with three first-time starters. This Quality Road-bred colt has been on the shelf for almost two months after finishing second in a same-distance, same-caliber maiden-special sprint back in early April at Aqueduct. In that race, this colt took more twists and turns than a whirling dervish. On the break, this Todd Pletcher trainee made a sharp 45-degree-angle bee-line for the rail thinking he was playing the hypotenuse in horse geometry class. He then settled in behind the front runner, but jockey Javier Castellano had all he could do in coming him from weaving and meandering his way down the backstretch. At the top of the stretch, there was a Mack-truck sized hole along the rail, yet for whatever reason, possibly handling issues, jockey Castellano opted for the three path. This colt finished a game second, four lengths behind the Bill Mott-firster, Rectify. If trainer Pletcher can work out this colt’s wandering ways… Javier Castellano reprises the ride. One caveat: Don’t see much value.
Others: :8: , :7: , :3:
Race Two:
:7: Invading Humor was last seen competing in the Grade III Long Island Handicap at a marathon twelve panels early last November at “The Big A”. The Bruce Levine trainee finished ninth in that one after leading early on. Yet, last summer, this Candy Stripes-bred mare reeled off four straight wins at both “Beautiful Belmont” and “The Spa”. This mare figures most prominently in this one-mile turf route, the non-graded state-bred Mt. Vernon. This Invasor-bred has turned in some solid morning works in preparation for her return to the fescue. This mare is two for two at the distance and five wins, lifetime, in eleven tries on the lawn. The most capable Rajiv Maragh is in the irons.
Others: :1: , :5: , :8:
Race Three:
In the non-graded Commentator Stakes to be contested over the distance of mile on the dirt for a purse of 200k, my pick is :4: Saratoga Snacks. This ridgling’s trainer, Gary Sciacca, does extremely well, albeit with a limited sample, with non-graded stakes. This ridgling is a prolific board-hitter. This Tale of The Cat-bred has graced the tote in 15 out of 19 lifetime tries. This Storm Cat-bred recently drilled four panels in a “bulleted” :47.2, breezing. Although the horse has been away from the races for nearly two months, that morning work signals readiness for his return to the races. “El Dominicano,” Joel Rosario, is in the irons.
Others: :1: , :3: , :5:
Race Four:
:5: Perfect Freud gets my nod in what I perceive as a wide-open allowance route. This Freud-bred filly has hit the tote in 7 out of 8 lifetime tries. This filly has been either first or second in her two lifetime tries at this mile distance. I like the turf to dirt angle. Gary Sciacca trains; Javier Castellano is in the stirrups.
Others: :1: , :3: , :4:
Race Five:
:9: Good Luck Gus is my pick in the 7-furlong Mike Lee Stakes. This Smart Strike-bred colt won his last, the Damon Runyon, in mid December. This Deputy Minister-bred should have little trouble getting the distance; he’ll likely benefit from his outside starting post. The colt has been away from the races for more than five months, but his morning work-tab has been good. Luis Saez is in the irons for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.
Others: :7: , :2: , :3:
Race Six:
:12: Forever Utopia is my pick in this state-bred allowance sprint. This Utopia-bred colt has won his last two, albeit on the main; he now switches to the lawn where he’s proven in the past that he can handle the turf; he has five seconds and one third in ten tries. The razor-sharp, hot as a petard on The Fourth of July, Eric Cancel, is in the irons. Cancel reeled off three-straight win hat-trick, yesterday. John Terranova II is the horse’s conditioner. Terranova’s good with with winners of their last race.
Others: :10: , :5: , :9:
Race Seven:
In the 7-furlong Bouwerie my pick is :6: Quezon. This Tiznow-bred may well have been overmatched in the Grade 2 Damoiselle at Aqueduct in late November. This chestnut filly now meets, in my opinion, a state-bred field that she should handle. Prior to her fourth-place finish in the aforementioned Damoiselle, this filly recorded two convincing wins. The filly’s been on the shelf for a while, but her recent morning work-tab is excellent. Manny Franco rides for Robert Ribaudo.
Others: :2: , :10: , :7:
Race Eight:
In The Kingston, a mile on the turf, my pick is :3: King Kressa. This Kingmambo-bred gelding has done very well on the green. He’s hit the tote in 15 out of 21 tries. He’s also hit the tote in 6 out of 7 tries at the distance. Frankly, he’s disappointed as the chalk in his last three. A chance to make amends? His trainer, David Donk, does very well with non-graded stakes. Joel Rosario is in the irons.
Others: :9: , :8: . :6:
Race Nine:
In The Critical Eye, I like :2: Saythreehailmary’s. This Louis Quatorze-bred filly won her last in allowance company at the beginning of the month. This filly has been the model of consistency; she has hit the tote in 11 out of 14 lifetime tries. This Repent-bred filly has hit the tote in all four of her lifetime tries at the distance. Manny Franco reprises the ride for trainer John Morrison.
Others: :5: , :6: , :7:
Race Ten:
You don’t have to be “Comfortably Numb”; Pink Floyd “The Wall” to like :9: Pink Freud Live in the finale, a maiden-claiming turf sprint. Yes, admittedly, this Freud-bred filly has not distinguished herself in her only two pari-mutuel races; however, for one, she faced better (she now drops into the selling ranks) and secondly, this filly did experience gate issues in her previous two tries. In her first start, this filly lunged, in her second, she got bumped at the start. Well, she’s been off now for over seven months. Yet, the filly’s recent morning works have been good. Trainer George Weaver does very well with horses going from maiden-specials to maiden-claiming. He does have a knack of winning these kinds of races. Luis Saez is in the irons.
Others: :2: , :11: , :12:
:5: One Sided has to his credit two races under his belt in a field with three first-time starters. This Quality Road-bred colt has been on the shelf for almost two months after finishing second in a same-distance, same-caliber maiden-special sprint back in early April at Aqueduct. In that race, this colt took more twists and turns than a whirling dervish. On the break, this Todd Pletcher trainee made a sharp 45-degree-angle bee-line for the rail thinking he was playing the hypotenuse in horse geometry class. He then settled in behind the front runner, but jockey Javier Castellano had all he could do in coming him from weaving and meandering his way down the backstretch. At the top of the stretch, there was a Mack-truck sized hole along the rail, yet for whatever reason, possibly handling issues, jockey Castellano opted for the three path. This colt finished a game second, four lengths behind the Bill Mott-firster, Rectify. If trainer Pletcher can work out this colt’s wandering ways… Javier Castellano reprises the ride. One caveat: Don’t see much value.
Others: :8: , :7: , :3:
Race Two:
:7: Invading Humor was last seen competing in the Grade III Long Island Handicap at a marathon twelve panels early last November at “The Big A”. The Bruce Levine trainee finished ninth in that one after leading early on. Yet, last summer, this Candy Stripes-bred mare reeled off four straight wins at both “Beautiful Belmont” and “The Spa”. This mare figures most prominently in this one-mile turf route, the non-graded state-bred Mt. Vernon. This Invasor-bred has turned in some solid morning works in preparation for her return to the fescue. This mare is two for two at the distance and five wins, lifetime, in eleven tries on the lawn. The most capable Rajiv Maragh is in the irons.
Others: :1: , :5: , :8:
Race Three:
In the non-graded Commentator Stakes to be contested over the distance of mile on the dirt for a purse of 200k, my pick is :4: Saratoga Snacks. This ridgling’s trainer, Gary Sciacca, does extremely well, albeit with a limited sample, with non-graded stakes. This ridgling is a prolific board-hitter. This Tale of The Cat-bred has graced the tote in 15 out of 19 lifetime tries. This Storm Cat-bred recently drilled four panels in a “bulleted” :47.2, breezing. Although the horse has been away from the races for nearly two months, that morning work signals readiness for his return to the races. “El Dominicano,” Joel Rosario, is in the irons.
Others: :1: , :3: , :5:
Race Four:
:5: Perfect Freud gets my nod in what I perceive as a wide-open allowance route. This Freud-bred filly has hit the tote in 7 out of 8 lifetime tries. This filly has been either first or second in her two lifetime tries at this mile distance. I like the turf to dirt angle. Gary Sciacca trains; Javier Castellano is in the stirrups.
Others: :1: , :3: , :4:
Race Five:
:9: Good Luck Gus is my pick in the 7-furlong Mike Lee Stakes. This Smart Strike-bred colt won his last, the Damon Runyon, in mid December. This Deputy Minister-bred should have little trouble getting the distance; he’ll likely benefit from his outside starting post. The colt has been away from the races for more than five months, but his morning work-tab has been good. Luis Saez is in the irons for trainer Rudy Rodriguez.
Others: :7: , :2: , :3:
Race Six:
:12: Forever Utopia is my pick in this state-bred allowance sprint. This Utopia-bred colt has won his last two, albeit on the main; he now switches to the lawn where he’s proven in the past that he can handle the turf; he has five seconds and one third in ten tries. The razor-sharp, hot as a petard on The Fourth of July, Eric Cancel, is in the irons. Cancel reeled off three-straight win hat-trick, yesterday. John Terranova II is the horse’s conditioner. Terranova’s good with with winners of their last race.
Others: :10: , :5: , :9:
Race Seven:
In the 7-furlong Bouwerie my pick is :6: Quezon. This Tiznow-bred may well have been overmatched in the Grade 2 Damoiselle at Aqueduct in late November. This chestnut filly now meets, in my opinion, a state-bred field that she should handle. Prior to her fourth-place finish in the aforementioned Damoiselle, this filly recorded two convincing wins. The filly’s been on the shelf for a while, but her recent morning work-tab is excellent. Manny Franco rides for Robert Ribaudo.
Others: :2: , :10: , :7:
Race Eight:
In The Kingston, a mile on the turf, my pick is :3: King Kressa. This Kingmambo-bred gelding has done very well on the green. He’s hit the tote in 15 out of 21 tries. He’s also hit the tote in 6 out of 7 tries at the distance. Frankly, he’s disappointed as the chalk in his last three. A chance to make amends? His trainer, David Donk, does very well with non-graded stakes. Joel Rosario is in the irons.
Others: :9: , :8: . :6:
Race Nine:
In The Critical Eye, I like :2: Saythreehailmary’s. This Louis Quatorze-bred filly won her last in allowance company at the beginning of the month. This filly has been the model of consistency; she has hit the tote in 11 out of 14 lifetime tries. This Repent-bred filly has hit the tote in all four of her lifetime tries at the distance. Manny Franco reprises the ride for trainer John Morrison.
Others: :5: , :6: , :7:
Race Ten:
You don’t have to be “Comfortably Numb”; Pink Floyd “The Wall” to like :9: Pink Freud Live in the finale, a maiden-claiming turf sprint. Yes, admittedly, this Freud-bred filly has not distinguished herself in her only two pari-mutuel races; however, for one, she faced better (she now drops into the selling ranks) and secondly, this filly did experience gate issues in her previous two tries. In her first start, this filly lunged, in her second, she got bumped at the start. Well, she’s been off now for over seven months. Yet, the filly’s recent morning works have been good. Trainer George Weaver does very well with horses going from maiden-specials to maiden-claiming. He does have a knack of winning these kinds of races. Luis Saez is in the irons.
Others: :2: , :11: , :12: