Race 1
#5 First String: Ran well at 7.5K last time out and now takes a small jump up to 10K. He showed good speed, and the pace was fast pace, and he still held on for third.
#2 Samurai Saint: He is taking the most significant drop in racing from MSW to MCL. Now he comes back as a new gelding, and another big improvement angle is the first time three-year-old after having a couple starts at two.
A=5-2
Race 2
#4 You Split Tens: I like the improvement second time out for the new barn. He has done his best running at today’s distance, winning three times out of four-lifetime wins.
#8 Lookin For Eight: Solid third first time out for new trainer Randy Morse. He likes it here at Oaklawn, having never missed the board in four starts. He has run better than par in his last four races.
A=4-8
B=7
Race 3
#4 El Venue: Looked very good three and four back at Lone Star, winning both starts. The layoff shouldn’t be an issue since he has won off a layoff for this trainer. He is 50% in the exacta at today’s distance.
#2 Recount: Solid win three back to win for 10K and now drops to 6K. He has shown decent speed in some of his races, and trainer Timothy Martin is 22% second off a layoff with a positive ROI.
A=4-2
Race 4
#2 Dutchess Bubbles: This three-year-old filly has improved nicely over the last four starts. Last time out, she jumped back up to MSW and ran very well on a hot pace. I feel the stretch out to the extra sixteenth will only help her speed carry more.
#5 Solemn Oath: Since stretching out and dropping into the maiden claiming ranks, she has run two great races. We also get a nice jock upgrade from Cannon to Vasquez.
A=2-5
B=7-1
Race 5
#1 First Empress: Every P5 at Oaklawn needs a first-off-the-claim Diodoro runner, and he also has first call rider Cohen jump aboard. You can toss the last race due to the sloppy track, and the win two back fits today’s Beyer par.
#4 Forevernoa: Good win two back at the challenging distance of seven furlongs. Now she comes in off a weak off-the-turf race that led to a layoff. Genaro Garcia is 35% off this type of freshening.
A=1-4
