Race 1: #1 Spanish Prince (6-1)
I’m hoping the weather holds up until this evening because I love #1 Spanish Prince (6-1) to upset the opener if this race stays on the turf. The two morning line favorites in this spot are #6 It Worked and #7 Rookie Radar. Both can definitely win, but they do their best running from the back of the pack and I’m not sure they’ll be getting a great setup in this spot. In addition, neither have a significant advantage on speed figures relative to the rest of the field, and that includes the grass numbers that Spanish Prince has been putting up. He’s 2 for 5 on the green stuff and 0 for 13 on synthetic so I think he’ll enjoy switching back to grass after a couple of okay runs on the tapeta. You could make the case that he had trouble in both of those trips too and he really hasn’t done anything wrong all year. He’s much more tactical than the two favorites and has proven he can win with the lead and sitting just behind rivals. He should be able to save all the ground from this cozy inside draw and I like his chances today at 6-1.
Race 6: #1 Summer Snow (9/2)
I don’t have too much to say about #1 Summer Snow (9/2) other than speed dominates turf sprints and this gal looks like the best of the speed. Her three races at this trip have produced two wins and an off-the-board finish with a brutal trip so this is clearly a configuration she likes. If for some reason they had any doubts, the rail draw will force their hand to send her right back to the front which is never a bad thing when you’re getting a 5 pound break in the weights. There are others who want to be forward, but I’m not sure if they’ll be able to keep up early and certainly not late so this filly offers tremendous value at 9/2 and I would be willing to go as low as 3-1.
Race 8: #9 Sweet Bombolini (12-1)
In a race where nobody can be trusted, let’s take a swing with #9 Sweet Bombolini (12-1) and hope that 14th time’s the charm. I know her synthetic form is lacking, but I think you can make excuses for a couple of those races. One of them preceded a lengthy layoff and she was a complete no-show that day so maybe something went amiss. The other came directly after a lengthy layoff so maybe she wasn’t fully cranked up. Maybe. Her last couple of starts came with plenty of trouble so I’m willing to forgive her for those efforts. Note they came against tougher rivals and she was taking plenty of money in those heats. Again, this is a race where nobody can be trusted and I tend to default to the speed in these types of races, especially in the lower level maiden ranks. She’s got plenty of early lick and should be forwardly placed throughout, and it appears there may be only one other rival that can challenge her early. She’s not a lock by any means, so be sure to check out the tote board, but she offers value at anything higher than 7-1.
