The last card in the month of April is a nine race program, scheduled to get under way at 12:30 (CT). Just a reminder that there is a schedule change for the final week of racing next week. Racing will resume on Thursday, May 4th and end on Saturday, May 6th, which will be the last day of racing for the 2022-23 meet.
I’ll be covering this exciting meet on the ITM Blog, along with posting some updates and thoughts from time to time on Twitter @EricSolomon718. Feel free to reach out!
| Race | Top Pick | A | B | C | Exotics Menu |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | 1A | DBL, PK5 | |
| 2 | 2 | 2,3,6 | 8 | DBL, PK3, PK4 | |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | DBL, PK3 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | DBL, PK3 | |
| 5 | 4 | 2,4,10 | DBL, PK3, PK5 | ||
| 6 | 12 | 12 | 1,3,4 | DBL, PK3, PK4 | |
| 7 | 2 | 2,6 | 3 | DBL, PK3 | |
| 8 | 3 | 3,6 | 2 | DBL | |
| 9 | 2 | 2,4,10 | 7 |
Race 5, #4 Happy Boy Rocket (6-1 ML):
This $12,500 starter allowance has a bunch of provisions, which produced a competitive field of 10, where there’s no clear-cut favorite. I’m interested in Happy Boy Rocket, who was re-claimed by Karl Broberg after he lost him via claim in February. He originally claimed him on behalf of End Zone Athletics for $30K, but after one start, he dropped him to the $12,500 level where he was claimed by Steve Asmussen. He came back to win in the slop last month where he was claimed for $16K. They lost some money with him the first time around, but I’m encouraged to see him entered in a protected spot.
Race 6, #12 Pat’s Gal (8-1 ML):
I think the morning line favorite is vulnerable in this state bred $12,500 maiden claimer, so I’ll look elsewhere. Pat’s Gal has been steadily improving when facing tougher state bred foes. She’s cutting back from a route to a sprint after a respectable effort with state bred maiden allowance runners last week. Cline is trying to get another race with state bred company before the meet closes and her foundation may help her finish strong in this race.
Race 8, #3 Mystic Night (5-1 ML): The featured race today is an optional claiming/N1X allowance going nine furlongs. Mystic Night probably didn’t want to go 12 furlongs when trying stakes company last out in the Temperance Hill Stakes. He drops in for a tag today after struggling when facing significantly better fields here earlier in the meet. This field is decent, but it’s definitely class relief for him. This is probably the right level of competition for him at this point in his career.
