Best Bet: STORMONT WIZARD (3rd) Spot Play: HUG THE WIND N (7th) Race 3 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool Race 8 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool MEET STATS: 80 - 296 / $556.70 (-$35.30) BEST BETS: 10 - 23 / $35.90 (-$10.10) Race 1 I’m torn in this spot between (2) QUEEN ADJALA & (3) LAUDERDALE. Both have drawn well and appear to be in winning spots. I’m leaning to the former only because I think she’ll be sitting no worse than second with a better possibility for a good trip. (6) ROSSINI is back down in class and truthfully this is a bigger drop than it appears to be on paper. This is a very soft NW8500. Race 2 (7) ST LADS MOONWALK came up short in his return from a four month break, but you can’t fault him considering that the 1:50 winning time posted by Bad Boy Brad A was one of the faster miles this year at the track. He can be much tighter in his second start back for high percentage trainer Jackie Greene. (1) K-LEES SHAKENBAKE couldn’t overcome the outside post in his first start for new trainer Ron Burke; moves way inside here. (2) SPRINTER N was disappointing at 1-2 last time but is certainly a player tonight. (6) VILLE VALO has yet to fire this year but you know the talent is inside somewhere. Race 3 (1) STORMONT WIZARD gets class and post relief this week. He should prove tough to beat. (2) KEEGAN HO went down the road last time to get the Buter stable on the board at the meet. This gelding and barn are more than capable of getting hot in a hurry. (5) DI OGGI is coming off a break and most people will probably have lost faith. He could be a worthwhile play at double-digit odds. (4) ASHES CASH has been rallying nicely and should be along for an exotics slice. Race 4 (4) TRACK MASTER D wasn’t bad last week while finishing third and now gets some class relief down to the NW5000 condition. This isn’t an easy spot, but he looks like a good value option. (3) JUSTIFIED should also offer a good price despite being in a winning condition. (9) JACKSRLUCKYTOO is probably the best horse in the race but will be hurt by the outside post. (6) MEDIEVAL DRAGON is another one that is dropping down, plus he gets a much better post tonight. Race 5 (3) JOJO JOVE came to town and wound up getting stuck in the 10-hole for both starts. Now in a new barn, this looks like a prime spot for him to score. (4) DRUNKEN TERROR moves into a high percentage barn and adds Gingras; short price looming. (10) TERROR OF THE NITE has three wins in his last four starts at this level yet could be overlooked in the wagering. (6) WORKANDPLAYHARD dropped in for this claiming tag and raced well while on the rim. Race 6 (7) YO CHEYENNE ROCKY set the pace and put in a solid showing to finish second on a night when no horse was able to go wire to wire. In a field where no one stands outs, he looks as good as any. (4) TWINCREEKS JESSE has the early speed to make the top in this spot and could surprise. (1) GRAVE DANCER was too far back to menace a week ago. Race 7 (1) HUG THE WIND N certainly looked good winning his North American debut. Is he this good? I’m not sure. As long we are getting at least 5-2, I’ll be on board. (7) BETTOR’S EDGE raced big in defeat last time and merits strong consideration again. (8) WESTERN JOE has been a killer in recent weeks but will have company if he heads to the front. (4) ENDEAVOR deserves some respect after sprinting home for the win in 25 4/5 last week. Race 8 (5) EVER AGAIN ran into a roadblock last time and was placed under a death grip to avoid a collision. Also, that was his first start in four weeks, so he is eligible to be sharper now. With unheralded Beyer in the bike, he seems like a viable value play. (2) MAJOR WAR raced well down in class a week ago and has the early speed to stay with this group. (6) ALTA LEROY N has been racing well since returning from a long break. (9) ART HISTORY drops in class after a pair of poor efforts; tough call. Race 9 (1) BIG TOP HANOVER is another that falls into the category of horses which were on the lead on a night where speed wasn’t holding up, and he went 54 to the half! From another good post, I’m going to stick with him. (3) BRICKMAN has closed willingly in consecutive starts after chasing slow paces. (7) DR C’S Z TAM enters a good barn and is certainly fast enough. (9) DUNE DUDE probably needs some pace help to win but I wouldn’t ignore the possibility that he could improve in his second start for this barn. Race 10 (3) HOPE FOR BADLANDS is sitting on a win but couldn’t quite get there from post 10 last week. (6) LIVE ON rallied well last time despite missing four weeks of action. He’s a must use for me. (1) PERSEVERANT can get away close and get a big piece of this. Race 11 (5) DURANT got hung out to dry last time out and understandably tired. I don’t see anything standing in his way to make the front this time. (10) ROCKET J waited off a fast pace and engulfed the field when last seen. He’s an obvious threat despite post 10. (3) FLEM N EM N has a few solid efforts in this class. Race 12 (5) MR EUROMAN N picked up his game nicely in his second U.S. start and didn’t exactly catch a tough division of this mishmash condition. (6) BAD BOY BRAD A rallied past the field in the stretch last Saturday and seems to be in another winning spot. (8) LUCAN HANOVER won both of his qualifiers but didn’t exactly blow me away. I’ll give this millionaire a start before considering him on top. Race 13 (5) ISLAND ELECTRIC may have faded in the stretch but still paced home in 27 3/5 in his first qualifier for this barn. After that learning experience, he could be live at a price. (8) PEPPER GUY has been on quite a roll with five straight wins. (4) LONG BEACH dealt with some stretch traffic issues last time. One day he’ll come up with a big mile. (6) VINTAGE GRAND ships in for Burke. Sometimes he does well with horses stretching out from the half to a mile oval. [DRF HARNESS NEWSLETTER: Sign Up for the FREE DRF Harness Newsletter. Fresh content and insights delivered each Thursday.]