PICKS GRID

	RACE 1
WIN	2. Clever Tiger	Hung out wide in last; makes second off the bench
PLACE	4. Big Tone C
SHOW	5. Skull Runner
	RACE 2
WIN	7. Radieux	Couldn’t go with 6-5 fave in last
PLACE	3. Two Thirty Five	Hoping for more value after clunker in last versus better; winner repeated
SHOW	5. Hollywood Closeup
	RACE 3 (turf)
WIN	4. Hendrickson	Top two choices in here both exit races where the pace scenario worked well for them but couldn’t seal it; could make #1 the value
PLACE	5. Holla At Your Boy
SHOW	1. Country Charlie
	RACE 4
WIN	6. Makemebelieve	Troubled trip in last and winner repeated in minor stake at Prairie Meadows
PLACE	5. Principia	Good-looking winner of local allowance contest in last for third win in four
SHOW	1. Carroll Girl
	RACE 5 (turf)
WIN	2. Sheriff Joe	Class dropper from Stidham barn
PLACE	5. Go Take Charge	Good setup two back, couldn’t quite get it done
SHOW	11. Uwasnreddi	Gelded, blinkers, and Lasix on – look for step forward soon
	RACE 6
WIN	5. Mackman	Pretty much has to be one of this trio; lightly raced sort owns right to improve
PLACE	6. Play Hard	First since September; Capuano barn torrid at DEL
SHOW	4. Goodafternoonoscar	Speed figs say he’s a winner here, but 0-for-9 record at this level urges caution
	RACE 7 (turf)
WIN	5. Merrychill	Stuck with it in paceless affair in turf bow
PLACE	6. Krone	Big effort to graduate in last but none of seven to run back has won since
SHOW	9. Rebel Consort
	RACE 8
WIN	6. Dia de Sol	Controlling speed in second off the bench
PLACE	2. Murumbi	Closing in slow early-fast late race from which winner moved up and won again
SHOW	3. Party Monster

RACING NOTES

• Jose Batista posted a riding hat trick Saturday, none on the favorite. He’s 8-for-41 at the meet, which equates to 1.92 wins above expectations per 50 starts…
• Trainer Juan Arriagada won twice. He’s 8-for-25 at the meet (2.29 wins above expecations per 25 starts)…
• Two horses were claimed Saturday, and the claim of a third, Exit Right, was voided by the state vet. Exit Right finished third in a starter/optional claiming contest…

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HANDICAPPING NOTES

The early Pick 5, with 15% takeout, has drawn around $100,000 in wagering on the Wednesday card the last couple of weeks, so we’ll give that a look. In the first, a lower level maiden event, you can make a case for our top three and also for #3 Sometimes I Do for trainer Sam Davis. This one’s debut wasn’t awful, and while the follow-up wasn’t good, the return to the main track ought to help. With just two races under his belt, he still has the right to improve… In race two, the horse not in our top three that figures to get a lot of attention is #4 Spectrier, who just missed at this level two back. But it feels like the key to the race is what you do with #3 Two Thirty Five. We’re using him, but we’re largely doing it on faith; he’s run two straight clunkers with a three-month break between them; those races won’t be good enough here. On the other hand, he’s not that far removed from races that would easily win this one and stretches out to his preferred two-turn trip…

In the third, as noted above, both of our top pair got pretty good setups in last, and neither could deliver. That points you in the direction of either #1 Country Charlie or #2 Street Rockin. The former ran big two back when fighting for the lead on a fast pace in a race that’s produced two next-out winners. HIs follow-up wasn’t as good, but a return to that two-back race would put him right there, possibly at a price (10-1 morning line). The latter ran evenly last out and makes his third start off the bench… The lightly raced #2 Blaze On has won three of four career starts and tackles her toughest task to date in the fourth race. The somewhat unusual hybrid condition puts horses like her — now in the four-life condition — at something of a class disadvantage versus veterans that may be quite a ways removed from running for the $16,000 tag that opens the starter condition… The other horse who’s a little interesting in the fifth is #3 Pineapple Lane, dropping from special weight company to maiden $16,000. She showed a little bit of tactical speed in her first dirt outing and caught a challenging group: two of the top three were $250,000+ auction purchases. A win here would give trainer Daisy Olivo her first career victory…

RACING DATA

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