Parx: Levine, Dutrow making high-percentage moves in feature

New York-based trainers Bruce Levine and Richard Dutrow Jr. will be making high-percentage moves when they bring in contenders for Monday’s $50,000 feature at Parx Racing.

Itsagoodtendollars, claimed by Levine for $50,000 on behalf of Mike Repole last March, will take a substantial class drop and shorten from a mile to 6 1/2 furlongs for Monday’s second-level optional $25,000 claimer. The Dutrow-trained 3-year-old Charlie’s Quest will be coming back just four days after winning a one-mile race at Aqueduct.

Both trainers have produced strong results and profits for bettors with similar strategies. Over the last five years, Levine is 5 for 14 (36 percent) with a $3.15 return on investment with horses taking a 50 percent drop in claiming price and switching from a route to a sprint. Itsagoodtendollars is one of five in the field of 12 entered for the $25,000 tag.

In addition, Levine has been successful with 9 of 29 runners (31  percent) he has shipped to Parx this season, which far exceeds his 2012 overall win percentage of 18 percent.

Since 2008, Dutrow is 3 for 6 with a $6.45 ROI with last-out winners switching from routes to sprints while returning in less than seven days. All three of those wins came in 2012 stakes, two with Willy Beamin and the other with King and Crusader.

Three others who merit respect are Change We Need, Don’s Honour, and Crosseyed.

The 5-year-old Change We Need has been in the exacta in 14 of 20 starts at Parx. He remains at the same class level after launching a wide rally to finish second, beaten only a length, on Nov. 12. Change We Need, trained by Marya Montoya, has 2 wins and a second in 3 tries going 6 1/2 furlongs.

Don’s Honour has won 4 of his last 5 starts, including a wire-to-wire score as the 6-5 favorite at Monday’s precise distance and class level last time out on Oct. 22. He remains eligible to stay at the same level while seeking his third straight win by running for the optional $25,000 tag.

Crosseyed cleared his first allowance condition in March and has raced just once since then, finishing third of seven at Monday’s level in early May. The 5-year-old Crosseyed shows a steady string of half-mile breezes for his comeback and comes from the barn of Cathal Lynch, who has a 25 percent hit rate with runners returning after a gap of 180 days or longer the past two seasons.