Best Bet: SAMS TRIPLE CROWN (9th) Spot Play: THINKBIG DREAMBIG (6th) Race 2 - $25,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool Race 7 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool CHAMPIONSHIP MEET STATS: 18 - 59 / $108.00 (-$10.00) BEST BETS: 5 - 6 / $15.80 (+$3.80) Race 1 (7) LOVE TAP HANOVER doesn’t look overly enticing off his recent finishes but which of these horses do you really love in this field? Digging deeper into his lines, three back he faced a runaway winner in Ghost Pine, last time he had no shot from post seven at Pocono, and in his most recent start he caught a revved up Southern Pursuit N. Maybe I’m reaching for straws but at least the price will be right. (4) LIVE ON is the fastest horse in the race if he shows up. (1) WELLWESAID is by far the sharpest horse, though he is stepping up in class. Race 2 (4) BAG PIPE MAJOR stretches out on the big track for the first time since moving into the Surick barn. While he doesn’t win often, neither no any of these. (5) SO CONFUSED comes off a steady mile at Pocono and should be plenty tight after getting those three starts under his belt. (6) MR HEAVEN seems to chase others nicely and that alone makes him worth an exotics look. Race 3 (6) BRUCE’S MAGIC elected to sit in the pocket as the 1-2 favorite at Freehold and only shook free after it was too late. I’m expecting a strong effort in this spot. (4) GRIFFON HANOVER earns a spot on the gate via the sub condition. He comes off a game win and is a must use on most tickets. (1) SPEED AGAIN is better than his last race and he does pop a big mile at times. Race 4 (1) JOE’S BID never got involved from an outside post last time. He gets a fair amount of class relief here and should bring a top effort. (9) NOBLES FINESSE came back from sabbatical with a solid win at Freehold. He certainly has the class to overcome the outside post. (8) ALWAYS A HOTSHOT closed well last time in his first start since August 2017. (4) YO APOLLO CREED raced better last week and lured Marohn off my top pick. Race 5 (4) QUALITY BUD is back at the NW8750 level where he has two wins and a third in his last three starts. (3) SPORTS BETTOR was flat in the Preferred at Freehold coming off a two-plus month break. He can show more in this spot. (6) BLOOD LINE looked super qualifying but hasn’t been himself against some much tougher competition. I wouldn’t be shocked if trainer Jimmy Takter got this guy to awaken out of nowhere. Race 6 (3) THINKBIG DREAMBIG was set to motor by the leader last week when steering issues combined with a horse that was bearing out derailed his chances. Despite losing Gingras, who is at Pocono driving some Hambletonian eligibles, I like this guy’s chances, especially if we see an equipment change. (5) LIFE HAPPENED has crossed the wire first in both legs of this series and clearly merits consideration here. (2) THOR DE VIE has been solid in each of his last three trips to the track. Race 7 (3) KJ’S JUSTINE hasn’t been flashy but is doing what counts – winning! Three-year-old filly is perfect in 2018 and I’m staying on the bandwagon. (6) IDEAL TALKER was very game last week and also raced well in defeat in round one. (8) COME GET THE CASH is racing well but needs to find a way into the race from post eight. (2) SAND ARTIST is still winless but merits a look underneath. Race 8 (1) SANTIAGO STYLE threw in a break last time but he wasn’t going to menace for the top spot anyway. Moving to the inside of the gate should keep him close enough to the action to attack late. (8) BALLERAT BOOMERANG romped when shown daylight last week and could offer value again with the outside post. (2) COMMENTARIAT has put together solid back to back scores; hard to toss. (3) IWILLMAKEYOUSAYWOW has been dull thus far in this series but is more than capable of putting in a big performance. Race 9 (3) SAMS TRIPLE CROWN probably tipped too soon last week as losing those few feet of ground on the turn was the difference at the wire. He remains at a winning level tonight. (4) SOUTHERN PURSUIT N might be the lone speed in this field; can go a long way. (1) SO TAKE THAT couldn’t handle the class hike last time. He should fit with this group. (5) EXPRESS STRIDE N is more than capable of winning but lately he has been settling for minor awards. Race 10 (4) MISTER INDIANA made a bold move only to come up short in his lone start since shipping in from Hoosier. Now acclimated to the east coast, he should be a bit tighter. (10) EVER AGAIN charged home full of life to win last Saturday. He has the early zip to make the top from post 10. (2) KINGS BARNS was in the right place at the right time and Gingras made the perfect move to bottom out the field. My thinking is he’ll be an underlay this week. (3) OUTCRY can stick close and get into the lower exotics. [DRF HARNESS NEWSLETTER: Sign Up for the FREE DRF Harness Newsletter. Fresh content and insights delivered each Thursday.]