Trip notes for Laurel Park’s late pick-3 today, plus three horses to follow. Good luck!
Make sure to check out the fantastic daily handicapping guide put together by the MJC Team via THIS LINK.
Race 9: Allowance, 3YO+, 6F, Dirt
| HORSE | RACE | TRIP NOTE |
| WITHOUT PRETENCE | SA, Pen, 6f, fast, 03/27/25 – 1st | ‘WP’ lacked speed despite being hustled from the outside gate & dropped to last early where he was ridden to the far turn. He failed to respond to his rider’s urgings & was still towards rear, fully extended entering the lane ~4W, however, he then kicked in the afterburners when straightened for the drive & rallied strongly down the centre of the stretch late to get up close home. Clean trip. Didn’t travel well & was outpaced under pressure from the start, then rallied late. Okay effort but was 4/5 & made hard work of things against inferior competition. May need more today. |
| THREE CAPTAINS | Alw, Lrl, 7f, fast, 03/29/25 – 3rd | ‘TC’ broke well & showed decent speed to stalk the pace under a tight hold 3W heading into the turn. He was then nudged along between horses rounding the bend but became outpaced, dropped back & came under a full drive, swinging 5W into the lane. He then stayed on at one pace past tired foes in the stretch following a late lead change.Clean trip. Became outpaced & then passed tired foes for an unexciting 3rd. Ran like could go further. |
| HEARD ON THE STREET | Alw, Lrl, 6f, good, 04/06/25 – 1st | ‘HOT’ rated off the pace before coming under pressure & making a 3W move on the turn. He built good momentum to join the leaders at the top of the stretch, then extended powerfully under a strong ride. Clean trip, though a touch wide – minor upgrade? Made impressive 3W move, then drew away. Won with seemingly a little more to offer. Passed eye test. Much the best. |
| OPTICAL BIJOU | Alw, Lrl, 6f, fast, 11/10/24 – 7th | ‘OB’ was patiently ridden from the gate & dropped ~10L off the pace before coming under a ride on the bend. He was still a long way behind & under strong pressure when coming 7W into the stretch, then ran on a little late having drifted to the rail while remaining on his L lead. Clean trip, though a touch wide into the lane. Tried hard late but had too much to do having been allowed to drop far back early – more aggressive ride needed? Didn’t like the fact that he didn’t change leads late – layoff followed; something amiss? Feel he’s capable of more than this. |
| SWIFTY DEVIL | Alw, Lrl, 7f, fast, 03/29/25 – 4th | ‘SD’ pulled hard outside foes early, then engaged in a duel to ~5/16 pole before he came under pressure in between foes & weakened into 4th, despite trying hard late. Clean trip. Went too hard dueling early, then understandably faded. Tried hard though & did manage to beat his sparring partner who was the 6/5 fav – does that warrant an upgrade? Likable enough in defeat, I guess. |
| PRADO ROAD | Alw, Lrl, 6f, fast, 02/23/25 – 1st | ‘PR’ was hustled to the front from the rail but then conceded the lead to a faster foe & stalked the pace along the rail heading into the turn. He then dropped back a little on the far turn & waited on the rail, then angled 2W into the stretch & came under a ride. He failed to change his leads initially in the lane but then received a bump from a rival when trying to hold his position ~1/8th pole which forced him to change leads & from thereon, he powered away. Nice to see him show that he could win from off the pace & it was impressive to see how he lost ground on the turn, then recovered to score. Possibly worthy of an upgrade, especially as he was bumped ~1/8th pole. Would have liked to have seen him be a little more efficient with his lead change but was otherwise visually impressive. Solid. |
Race 10: Allowance, 3YO+, 5 1/2f, Turf
| HORSE | RACE | TRIP NOTE |
| RIO CHAMA | Alw, OP, 1 1/16m, fast, 02/07/25 – 6th | ‘RC’ tracked the pace between horses into the first turn, then checked off heels fractionally & swung into the 3P. He raced behind the bridle & was hustled along while chasing the pace in the clear down the back stretch. However, he failed to respond to his rider’s encouragement & gradually weakened to a detached last by the time the field swung around the bend. He then had no chance at the top of the stretch & was not hard ridden thereafter, eventually jogging over the wire. Clean trip. Never traveled & eventually jogged home. No visible excuse but something was amiss, surely? Not an encouraging performance, anyway. |
| SAMBALOVER | Alw, TP, 6f, synth, 03/22/25 – 11th | ‘SAM’ was squeezed along between horses in mid division heading into the turn before he came under a stronger ride ~1/4 pole. He was just about hanging in there at the top of the stretch but then weakened to last under a sympathetic ride. Clean trip. Outpaced at 35/1 before being tenderly handled late. Not an encouraging effort with today’s 5 1/2f trip in mind. |
| BENNY HAVENS | Alw, Lrl, 5 1/2f, firm, 11/02/24 – 3rd | ‘BH’ chased the pace along the rail in mid-pack before creeping closer under minimal urging rounding into the stretch where he tipped out 3W. He then came under a strong ride in the lane & finished well but was simply 3rd best. Great trip. Ran a great race but was simply not good enough on this day. |
| KATIE’S NOTION | Alw, Lrl, 5 1/2f, firm, 11/02/24 – 1st | ‘KATIE’ was not rushed from the gate & allowed to drop to a lone last early before crossing to the rail. He was patiently ridden in last all the way into the stretch before he swung into the centre of the track & came under a strong ride. He then rattled home down the centre & swiftly went from last to first, winning comfortably, despite flopping leads ~1/16 pole. Clean last to first trip. Got a strong pace to run at & took advantage of it. A solid effort, though not in love with his late lead ‘flop’. |
| TALL ORDER | Alw, TP, 6 1/2f, synth, 01/03/25 – 7th | ‘TO’ broke slow & dropped to rear early before coming under a ride ~5/16 pole. He was still towards rear when swinging 7W into the stretch & from thereon, he finished at one pace past tired rivals late. Clean trip though a touch wide into the lane. Was in rear throughout & lacked the pace to challenge. Maybe he was just outclassed at 44/1 but overall, this was uninspiring with today’s 5 1/2f test in mind. |
| WOW WHATA PARTY | Alw, PID, 6f, synth, 10/21/24 – 3rd | ‘WWP’ took a minor bump at the break, then quickly dropped to a detached last. He then came under a ride on the far turn & responded by gradually gaining forward momentum into the stretch where he appeared to be coming with a dangerous move, only to have his path blocked ~1/8th pole, forcing him to steady & alter course outside having lost momentum. He made one final rally from then on but simply ran out off time. Was coming with a winning run from the rear but had his path blocked inside the final 1/8th which cost him the race. Re-rallied but ran out of time. Likable in defeat, should have won. An upgradable effort. |
| LADDIE DANCE | Alw, Lrl, 7f, fast, 03/29/25 – 6th | ‘LD’ took a strong hold & pulled his way forward between horses early before being restrained back into mid division. He traveled well to the far turn but was then forced to steady ~7/16 pole which shuffled him back to last & put him on the back foot. He quickly came under a ride to recover & to his credit, he did, jumping back on the bridle & reattaching himself to the back of the pack while moving out wide. He was then floated 6W off the bend into the stretch & came under a strong ride, however, it seemed as if he had little more to offer & therefore, he was sympathetically ridden inside the final 1/8th. Troubled trip made this effort forgivable. Impressed with how he was able to jump back on the bridle after the interference. He wasn’t hard ridden late either which exasperated the margin of defeat. Not saying he’d have won with a clean trip at all, but this wasn’t a true reflection of his ability or current level of form. |
| INCINERATOR | SA, Lrl, 6f, fast, 02/28/25 – 6th | Having broken from the inside gate, ‘INCIN’ chased the lone leader along the rail into the turn, then became outpaced on the bend & dropped back under a ride before weakening further to finish in his own time. Rail run throughout. Uninspiring without excuse for the second time in a row. |
| FADETHENOISE | Clm, CD, 6 1/2f, fast, 11/20/24 – 9th | ‘FAD’ broke poorly & got away towards rear before advancing to race in mid division heading into the turn. He then came under a ride while 3-4W rounding the turn but failed to respond to his rider’s urgings & weakened out of contention by the top of the stretch. He was not hard ridden late. Slow break, outpaced & had nothing to offer late. Uninspiring effort followed by layoff? Maybe didn’t like dirt? Feel he’s better than this. |
| WAR HUMOR | Alw, Lrl, 5 1/2f, fast, 01/24/25 – 5th | ‘WH’ rode the rail in mid-pack having been bumped hard at the start. He then dropped to last on the bend while waiting in behind horses on the rail. As the field then fanned out off the bend, he found room & came under a ride in the centre of the track but offered absolutely nothing. Was bumped at the start & then forced to wait on the turn when he really needed to be building momentum, however, that didn’t cost him the race. He offered very little off the bridle. Probably better back on turf. Effort followed by layoff. |
| TOOLPUSHER | Alw, Lrl, 5 1/2f, firm, 11/03/24 – 1st | ‘TOOL’ was significantly bumped at the break, then crowded & forced back. He chased the leading group into the turn, then lugged out on the bend, though didn’t loose any further ground racing ~7L off the lead, 2-3W. Upon straightening, he changed leads & straightened up, then came under a hand ride & readily accelerated between horses into 3rd ~1/8th pole before coming under a stronger ride & engulfing the leading duo late, despite flopping leads ~100yds from the wire. Impressive stretch run, largely under a hand ride, and was hampered start – possible upgrade. Didn’t like how he lugged out on the bend, then flopped leads late, however, overall passed the eye test & it was encouraging that he ran straight when racing on R lead leg. Solid enough. |
Race 11: Claiming 7.5k, 3YO+, 6f, Dirt
| HORSE | RACE | TRIP NOTE |
| ALWAYS GAMBLING | Clm7.5K, Lrl, 1m, good, 04/06/25 – 2nd | ‘AG’ recovered from a bump at the start, chasing the pace along the inside heading into the far turn. He was then scrubbed on rounding the far turn, responded & came with a wide move around horses into the stretch. When straightened for the drive, he fought gamely to the wire down the centre of the track while being floated out a touch & stayed on well late but had to settle for 2nd. Ran a nice race off the layoff. Overall, this was a clean trip, though he did come very wide into the stretch & was then floated out a touch late. Was late with lead change but overall passed the eye test. Solid in defeat, although off this effort, it’s not certain he wants todays cut back in trip. |
| GERRYS GEM | SA, Lrl, 6f, fast, 03/29/25 – 5th | ‘GG’ broke on top from the inside gate, then eased off the pace to race between horses in the 2P before he was rushed up again 3W entering the turn. He then dropped back again on the far turn & came under a ride ~3/8 pole but failed to respond to his rider’s urgings & gradually faded to the wire. Flashed early speed but then stopped at halfway. Uninspiring with no obvious excuse, though was first start off layoff. |
| CAPTAIN CARDO | Clm7.5K, Lrl, 1m, good, 04/06/25 – 4th | ‘CC’ lacked speed form the rail & dropped to last where he was patiently ridden to the far turn. He then came under a hand ride with ~1/2 mile to run & began building momentum around horses before coming 8-9W into the stretch & under a hard ride. He then dove back to ~4P in the stretch & stayed on well to the wire for 4th, despite flopping leads ~70yds out. Very wide trip into the stretch but otherwise a clean trip. Stayed on well from the rear & showed a good attitude, though didn’t love his late lead ‘flop’. |
| MISTER AGENT | Clm7.5K, Lrl, 5 1/2f, good, 04/04/25 – 5th | ‘MA’ was ridden hard form the rail & then continued to be hustled hard chasing the pace in the pocket to the far turn. He then became outpaced rounding the turn & dropped back before staying on at one pace along the rail under a hard ride to the wire. Clean rail trip. Ridden hard throughout but was outpaced. Ran like he might want further. Not sure how hard he tried either? |
| BEACH COWBOY | SA, Lrl, 6f, good, 04/04/25 – 6th | ‘BC’ was hustled to the front from the rail draw where he remained to ~7/16 pole. He then lost the lead & came under a ride but offered little response & weakened to the wire. Brief speed, then stopped with seemingly no excuse. Uninspiring. |
| PUDGE BOY PALACE | SA, Lrl, 6f, good, 04/13/25 – 6th | ‘PBP’ was hustled hard from the gate but couldn’t make the lead, then eased back into mid-pack. He began losing ground ~1/2 mile pole, dropped back to a detached last & never factored thereafter, despite staying on okay late. Was eased back to rear early over a speed bias track which made life difficult for him. He stayed on okay late & looked to be trying hard. Not saying he should have won at all, yet it feels as if he retains more ability than the speed fig from this race suggests. |
| MY MAMBA | Clm7.5K, Lrl, 5 1/2f, good, 04/04/25 – 2nd | ‘MM’ was patiently ridden from the gate & allowed to drop back to a detached last where he remained until he came under pressure on the far turn & gradually made a steady advance outside horses. He then swung ~5W into the lane with decent momentum, shook off a minor bump at the top of the stretch & rallied strongly into 2nd late. Clean trip though was wide on the turn. Stayed on well from from a detached last on barn debut but was never beating the 7/5 winner. Solid in defeat, though is pace dependent. |
Horses to Follow
R9: HEARD ON THESTREET (2/1 ML)
Following an impressive victory that earned him an 88 Beyer last out, PRADO ROAD will no doubt be the horse to beat in today’s ninth, an allowance going 6-furlongs on the main track. However, at what will likely be a slightly bigger price, don’t sleep on HEARD ON THESTREET. Trainer Manny Geralis fitted the gelded 4-year-old son of STREET MAGICIAN with a hood for the first time on April 06 and as you can see from the above trip notes, that brought about significant improvement. He couldn’t have been more dominant in victory, making an eye-catching three-wide move on the turn before drawing off to win by 6 ¼-lengths. For the fort, he earned an 80-Beyer yet visually, he looked to have plenty of further room for improvement. And as he now returns to the track under leading rider Jamie Rodriguez, he has the chance to build on that effort and show us just how much more he has in left the locker, with the hood remaining intact. Geralis boasts a 23% strike rate with last-out winners, and at a decent price, HEARD ON THESTREET could outrun the favorite.
R10: WOW WHATA PARTY (12/1 ML)
Trainer ‘Chucky’ Lawrence switched WOW WHATA PARTY to sprint distances last year, a move that led the PA-bred son of DESERT PARTY to break his maiden at Colonial in September. He then had the cruelest of cuts and was gelded before running two strong races on the synthetic at Presque Isle, finishing second at odds of 13/1 before he suffered a brutal beat when last seen October. As you can see from the above trip notes, he was coming with a winning run from the rear that day but had his path blocked inside the final furlong. He altered course late and tried valiantly to re-rally but ran out of real estate and had to settle for a ½-length defeat in third. There’s little doubt that with a clean trip, he’d have won that race which would have eliminated him from today’s contest. Now debuting as a gelding on turf, he gets a prime shot to make amends with 7lbs apprentice Yan Rodriguez in the saddle. WOW WHATA PARTY still has untapped potential yet doesn’t lag too far behind today’s main players on speed figures and could surprise at a nice price.
R11: PUDGE BOY PALACE (9/2 ML)
PUDGE BOY PALACE has failed to menace at huge odds in both of his starts since joining Jose Corrales’ barn in March. However, you don’t have to do that much digging to find speed figures that make him very live in today’s night cap and as he now drops out of starter allowance company, you may be able to catch him at a respectable price. Two back, he once again failed to get home over one mile, taking his record at the distance to 0-for-5. Then, as you can see from the above trip notes, at odds of 24/1, he was eased back to the rear of the field last time which made his life almost impossible as the track was significantly favoring speed that day. He’s likely better than his recent form suggests, and now, facing softer competition with talented apprentice Yedsit Hazlewood shaving 7lbs off, PUDGE BOY PALACE could rediscover his spark and deliver a strong performance at a fair price.
Good luck playing Laurel today!
