Race 3: #6 Blueberry Fields (7/2)
#6 Blueberry Fields (9/2) looks as good as any in this short field and it appears she’ll be one of the more appealing prices as well. She’s coming off a respectable second place finish on the grass where she sat mid-pack and passed a couple of rivals in a race that favored the speed. Today she returns to the tapeta track where she’s found success in the past. Two and three back she ran a route of ground on the synthetic and won both those starts from off the pace, and in the process she earned some of the highest Beyer figures in the field. I’m not expecting them to fly up front which is okay because while she does come from off the pace, it’s not like she needs to come from the clouds or anything and this outside draw should ensure a trouble-free journey in the clear. 3-1 seems like a fair price on this lightly raced five year old mare.
Race 6: #7 Dream On Baby (6-1)
Who makes the lead in this race? Perhaps it’s #7 Dream on Baby (6-1) at a solid price. He showed plenty of early lick last winter at Gulfstream and today he’s trying to recapture that form for his second start in Canada. The return off the layoff wasn’t awful as he sat behind a hot pace, made a bit of a move in the far turn, but had nothing to offer in the stretch and merely split the field against tougher. They didn’t risk him for a tag that day so maybe he was just out for a spin and today he’s dropped in class to his lowest level yet so I’d imagine he’ll be fully cranked. Note Morden wins at a 29% clip second off the bench and it’s encouraging that top rider Hernandez bothers to ride back. The biggest question mark is the surface. Both of his synthetic tries weren’t great, but that one turf effort does leap off the page as he earned a big number down at Gulfstream going longer. Either way, he should be forward throughout and this outside draw will give the rider option, he’s a solid win play for me at anywhere near the 6-1 offered on the morning line.
