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Race 1: Clm $16k 5 & ½F Turf

1^st: #3 Belmonte, gotta love the last, his first on the turf as a mature horse earning a 75 Beyer the best last out figure in the field. Inside draw should with his speed should benefit.

2^nd: #5 Elusive Hero, probably looking to start on dirt here in the event of rain, nonetheless has speed needed to get toward the front and has some of the highest Beyers in the field including the only 80 last May.

3^rd: #4 Top Hat City, quality results have come at Laurel, recently have lost at lower prices than today’s $16k at Mountaineer and Pen.

Dirt: 5-7-10

Race 2: OC$25k 6F

1^st: #4 Sunman, Claudio Gonzalez trainee has been keeping high quality company going back to last fall when he ran second to Win Win Win who ended up beating half the field in the Kentucky Derby. More recently he was second to Wendell Fong win a stake in New York recently and was entered in the G1 Woody Stephens on Belmont Stakes day. Has highest Beyers in the field.

2^nd: #6 Three Phase, was recent;y 4 lengths behind Sunman in the two back but 6 lengths clear of the rest of the field. Came out of that to win at this level June 2^nd locally. Has finished top 3 in all 10 local starts.

3^rd: #5 To Blave, rarely a winner but always an honest effort. Has consistently shown ability to close late which hurts his chances given almost no speed in this field. Only speed looks to come from the horse on the rail Poplar Avenue who may have had something go wrong in his last effort.

Race 3: MdClm $25k 1 & 1/8^thM Turf

1^st: #4 Itgot Grandma, biggest drop in racing from MdSpWt company to MdClm. Horacio DePaz is hitting at 31% putting the blinkers on and hopefully that helps narrow the horse’s focus. Ignore the margin of defeat in the last as it came on a sloppy Pimlico surface. Goes longer and on turf for the first time today.

2^nd: #8 Unbelievable Story, debut effort was honest at the $16k claiming level when he went off at 48-1 and beat 7 rivals. Added distance should help this plodder. Candidate for improvement second time out at age 4, not a lot of mileage on his wheels.

3^rd: #2 Optical Illusion, very soft turf on a steeplechase course down in Virgnia, this one ran 12F in 2:51 (not a typo). Was pretty close the whole way around however and may have tired at the end. Winner of that one came back out to win, he shortens today.

Race 4: Clm $k F&M 6F

1^st: #5 Hail the Queen, Wayne Potts dropping this filly down to the bottom rung claiming ranks at which she has never been. Her last win came against $12.5k claimers earning a 55 Beyer. Ignore the last given the horrible trip that simply did not allow her to run her race.

2^nd: #6 Unique Humor, the speed of the field, sort of. Has carried her speed on turf but usually gets clipped going 6F on dirt.

3^rd: #2 Roman Holiday, the other that should vie for the early lead. A duel between the 5 and this one probably ruins both of their chances.

Race 5: OC$25k 1M Turf

1^st: #1 Real Factor, last out effort was solid going half mile longer than today’s distance. He grabbed the early lead and eventually relinquished it but stayed up for second. Distance relief should help. Maiden breaking win also come on or at the lead. One of the very few in this race that are looking to get to the front, could steal it on the lead as the rest of the contenders line up 10 lengths behind. Note improvement in Beyer upon switch to grass.

2^nd: #4 Maryland Pride, second time out this year should mean he’s a candidate for improvement having gone slightly longer than today’s distance at Pim last time out coming up just a neck short earning a stiff 77 Beyer. Like that he was able to make up lengths in that one being decently close up to an honest pace and still being able to run at the end.

3^rd: #3 Rule Yourself, two recent tries over turf have been fruitful with two second place finishes and 75 Beyers in each. Problem is he comes from so far behind, was 19 lengths back in the two back and somewhat closer last time out. That works when given a ridiculous pace like the two back effort when the leader went 3 quarters in 1:09 and change.  Not much pace in this one, deep closing will be difficult.

Race 6: MdSpWt $40k F&M 6F Turf

1^st: #9 Little Skiff, a very strong debut effort for this 4 year old filly over at Del which saw her cross the finish line first but get disqualified and placed 6^th while earning a 78 Beyer, by far tops in the field. A repeat effort wins this race but I expect improvement in her second lifetime start. Also adds Lasix.

2^nd: #10 Vi Haines, Candy Ride filly was a $550k yearling purchase at Keeneland September 2 years ago and made the races last fall as a 2 year old in a losing effort at Del on dirt. Given a winter and spring under the watchful eye of Delacour we expect this one to come out ready to fire now as a 3 year old.

3^rd: #2 Celestial Dream, definitely one to watch, O’Dwyer barn is red hot and he’s 4 for 10 in turf sprints this year. Steady diet of gate drills, last work more than adequate.

Race 7: Clm $8k F&M 1M

1^st: #4 Hashtag Selfie, was second in a small stakes event at Aqueduct in March followed by a win in StrAlw company. Last out she set the fractions before tiring badly. You almost wonder if something went wrong and they’re trying to dump the horse for anything they can get for her. Outside of that scenario, she should be the best and has 8 wins in 21 starts locally.

2^nd: #1 Prevailing Party, two back she won at this level by a whopping 9 lengths on a heavily speed favoring track earning a 67 Beyer. Unknown to me trainer then tried StrAlw company and she’ wasn’t quite good enough. Gets distance relief back to her preferred level, perhaps a good play if the 4’s pattern gives you pause.

3^rd: #2 Justgimmeakiss, two back a 10 length win at this level before trainer Dorothy Worton inexplicably tried turf. That didn’t go well so she’s back where she wins.

Race 8: Alw $42k F&M 5 & ½F Turf

1^st: #4 Hip Hop, 3^rd time out at 4 after a win in Str company and a very narrow miss in a loaded Alw race on the Preakness undercard staying very close to the pace and getting nipped by a neck. 3 published drills since then and an added 1/16^th should help her chances.

2^nd: #8 Not Sure, lightly raced 4 year old making her second start of the season after an honest effort going today’s distance up at Mth earning a 66 Beyer in a similarly conditioned allowance. Duarte is 4 for 6 putting the blinkers on and 2 for 4 shipping to Laurel.

3^rd: #1 Margie is Livid, Lynch tried two stakes attempts last summer and fall and she wasn’t embarrassed, even gaining the lead for a couple calls in the race at Laurel. First time back this year was decent and she faded. 3 nice timed drills since.

Race 9: Alw $42k 6F Turf

1^st: #7 El Dulce, every once in a while a horse just jumps off the page screaming, “Pick me! Pick Me!” Let’s go through all of the patterns here that I love so much: Second time off the layoff at 4 when the first attempt was solid. Horse showed up for Horacio DePaz after being with Pletcher the previous two seasons and tired slightly after setting ridiculous fractions ending just a length behind a final time of 55 and 4/5ths. The winner of that race Love You Much came back to win his next one as well. This horse is going to be on fire today. Hopeful for anything above even money.

2^nd: #2 Matta, Trombetta trainee broke his maiden last out at Mth in his first attempt on turf and first time out this year stalking a hot pace and overtaking the leader by almost 3 lengths. Second place finisher came back to break his maiden next time out.

3^rd: #6 Railmaster, biggest threat to El Dulce in that he will also vie for the early lead. Have to assume a horse that took 13 races to break his maiden is quite up to the task the first time against winners but that was a huge win. Final time was a solid two seconds slower than El Dulce’s last race.

Race 10: MdClm $25k 6F

1^st: #1 Fernwood Drive, speedy type dropping from $40k level. Has shown his ability in the morning with a couple brisk works but the stamina so far hasn’t been there. Hoping speed on the rail dropping in class holds true.

2^nd: #2 Paid Holiday, also dropping from $40k, but this one has lost at $16 also, albeit he was closer at that level. Two back on dirt was his best yet.

3^rd: #3 Loudon’s Song, heavily traveled 3 year old will be making his 10^th start at his 5^th different track. Has the highest Beyer in the field in the three back.