Happy Memorial Day Weekend…thank you to all who served in our military and kept our country safe and strong. And shout out of my nephew Ethan who will be enlisting in the Marines this July.
You can reach me on “X” @hkravets and/or email at hkravetshorse@gmail.com….. Post time is 3:40pm EST. Good luck, and CRUSH YOUR BETS!
Race 1: 5 – 4 – 6
In today’s opener for $7500 claimers, I’m hoping to catch a price with #5 Lucky Shot (6-1). Last time, he got caught up in a speed duel and faded badly. But his efforts 2 and 3 back are certainly good enough to win. He’ll have to sit off the speed just to his outside and then pass’em in the lane.
Race 2: 6 – 3 – 4
Early Pick 4 Ticket: 4,6 / 8 / 5,8 / 3,4,5,6,8,9 ($12)
#4 Joe the Tailor (2-1) is the first of many where I’m “chalking out” my top pick, for better or worse today. “Joe” has a lot of early speed, and there’s not a ton in here. The Timeform pace projector has this one loose, which would be a problem for everyone else. This Illinois-bred is 2nd off the layoff and should improve with racing….could be tough here if he breaks on top.
Race 3: 8 – 1 – 3
Here’s my single in the Early Pick 4. #8 Madelyn Belle (5-2) is not only sharp right now, but also projects to be on the lead, breaking from the far outside for Rivelli and Mojica. She’s 4 out of 5 on the win end at Hawthorne and has been given time since her last victory with steady works in between. Come and catch her…don’t think they will.
Race 4: 5 – 8 – 1
The morning line favorite on the outside might get to the early lead, but I just don’t trust her. Therefore, I’ll go with #5 Top Look (3-1), who will be running at the Cicero oval for the first time with a new trainer to boot. She has a work over the track, is tactical, and seems to show more punch in the lane than the #8 Heart of Hanisch, who puts blinkers on.
Race 5: 9 – 5 – 8
Late Pick 4 ticket: 3,4,5,6,8,9 / 3,5 / 5,6,8,10 / 4,5
The opening leg of the Late P4 is a $20k maiden claimer on the lawn. Despite the fact there are some interesting firsters from high-end stables (Rivelli and Block), I’ll choose the experience of #9 Righteous Freedom for Roussel (5-2). I don’t like the 0-for-8 record on the win end, but he’s been given a bit of a break, been working well, and will be flying the lane. I would take too low a price on him however, he’s not easy to trust. Big-time spread race for me horizontally.
Race 6: 3 – 5 – 7
Trainer Jon Arnett is having a solid meet so far, hitting at 24%. Perhaps his win percentage will increase with my top choice, #3 Blessed Anna (9-5). She finds a pretty soft field for an allowance race and won last time from the rail, beating some of her main competition today. A repeat effort of the last would get the job done again.
Race 7: 6 – 8 – 5
The classiest horses of the card match up in a nice allowance affair on the lawn in Race 7. I’ll go with Block’s #6 Battle Scars (5-2), who’s consistent if not spectacular. The 6yo has been rested up for this spot since the FG meet, puts blinkers on, and has a great closing kick. The problem is he often has too much ground to make up. Maybe the blinks will put him more into the game. I sort of wonder why the NY-bred is not racing in his home state vs. his own kind. Maybe he’s just not good enough to compete on that tough circuit.
Race 8: 4 – 5 – 7
The finale is a two-horse race to me between top choice #4 Sendmedowntheroad (5-2) and #5 Sky Master, the ML-favorite. “Sendme” is now being trained by Rodriguez off the claim, and he’s 19% this meet, so I’m not overly concerned about the switch off of Rivelli in this instance. He showed a lot of early speed for the level in his debut before fading to 4th. I’m expecting more stamina today and just don’t trust the #5, who’s dropping from the clouds to $6,250 from $62,500, 10 times less his sales price from the last time he ran. That’s too big a red flag for me to pick on top.
