DRF's Horse Racing Playbook for Thursday, October 20, 2022

Daily Racing Form has served as the most trusted source of news and information about the sport since 1894, and moving forward we have decided to provide a free daily playbook – something that both hardcore horseplayers and casual observers can reference to get informed of each day’s action.

12:40 LRL 1st TANKA TOUGH (#3, 12-1) was outrun along the inside going five-eighths at Pimlico, angled widest, and came with a belated rally for second behind the runaway pacesetting winner. This is a tougher spot, but she has shown the ability to sit closer to the pace, and is an in-form runner that should offer good value. CATEGORYNINETYNINE is out of a half-sister to multiple stakes-winning dirt sprinter Strike the Moon (92 Beyer), stakes-winning dirt sprinter Walk of Stars (87 Beyer), stakes-placed turf miler Listentothewindblo (77 turf Beyer), and multiple stakes-placed dirt sprinter What Time It Is (92 Beyer). Barn scored with debut winner Flamingo Faze (5-1 odds) sprinting on turf at Colonial on Aug. 15. Barbosa lands here instead of Performanceanxiety. VANILLA BEAN broke slow in lone turf start, raced near the back behind slow splits, came wide, and failed to factor. That race produced two next-out winners (Better Call Mama returned to win a $40,000 "two-life" at Pimlico with a 65 Beyer). COOLCATSNKITTENS could be the one to catch and beat shipping down from New York and breaking from the inside. Broke sharp at Saratoga, settled into the pocket behind a quick pace, and gave an even rail bid. The runner-up returned to finish third in a statebred $40,000 maiden claimer at Saratoga with a 60 Beyer. MELIPONINI BEE likely went too fast on the lead in recent two-turn heat at Pimlico. Likely reverts to more patient tactics cutting back in distance and ran well in lone turf-sprint try this year. MIDNIGHT CHOIR and STRAWBERRY POINT deserve serious consideration if able to escape the Also Eligible list. | Get PPs for this race

1:42 BAQ 3rd COMMUNITY ADJUSTED (#3, 9-2) tried going longer two back and finished evenly late after tracking a rated pace from the inside; went to Colonial last time and got wired by a well-bred and progressive rival; tactical filly brings good form into this while getting some class relief. WICKED GROOVE has run very few bad ones since getting on the turf last summer and she earned a new top figure when defeating entry-level allowance rivals two back at Saratoga for Atras; won her lone prior start at this distance before the layoff and has returned with the three best performances of her career. LADY DAY rallied up to win over this distance off the layoff last year on the all-weather, then made her next six starts vs. stakes rivals; more than held her own in those races; has missed almost 400 days since last seen but returns for an excellent layoff trainer with Lasix on for the first time. | Get PPs for this race

2:04 KEE 3rd KING RUSSELL (#11, 10-1) didn't seem suited to the rhythms of a sprint race going 7f in his career debut, since he had to be ridden along down the backstretch just to stay in contact. However, the second part of his race was very good. Kicked into gear in upper stretch and his final furlong in 12.18 was easily best in that race, followed by a strong gallop out suggesting two turns will be his thing. Wide draw but price should mitigate that. ESCAPOLOGIST back 19 days after a solid third of 10 in an 1 1/16-mile CD MSW. Did his best running very late in the game and the sixteenth-pole finish here might not be ideal. ENDPOINT hit the line one place ahead of King Russell and adds blinkers, but I was more encouraged by KR's race there. | Get PPs for this race

2:36 KEE 4th There are two serious speed horses entered here, and BANDIT SWANSON (#1, 15-1) can slot in just behind them with an alert break from the rail. Apparently the horse was dropped a good-looking allowance win at Lone Star in June to a $40K claimer in August in Indiana for good reason, since he took a major step back. But new connections have given him some time and several lively works, and raise the horse $10K in price for first post-claim start. Some things to like. DEVIL VISION and HOT SHOT KID both from the Mac Robertson barn and both fit the on-paper race shape. Devil Vision has recently been faster and on the face of things is the better fit here, but Hot Shot Kid is an accomplished veteran MN-bred who won at this level last fall at KEE. | Get PPs for this race

3:16 BAQ 6th GOLDEN ROCKET (#1, 10-1) was a big price when rallying to upset the Statue of Liberty division of the NY Stallion Series at Saratoga; she had a good pace in front of her that day, but she finished strongly while keeping her good run of form going, and she came right back to run well again last time in the Grade 3 Pebbles; needs a trip but might not get the respect she deserves in this spot. WHATLOVELOOKSLIKE is progressing slowly for Pletcher and has been right there at the end of each of her last four starts - two of them wins; needs another step forward vs. this field. CLASSIC LADY appears to have lost a step as a 7yo, though she did run very well in the Mount Vernon off the bench; drops down in class following two flat performances vs. stakes rivals since. | Get PPs for this race

4:22 BAQ 8th SUIT OF ARMOR (#8, 6-1) ran well in the first two starts of his career last year without winning, then made five of his next seven starts on dirt; has run well in all four starts since returning to turf in July and finally got the maiden win the last time he was on this surface; gets Prat for the return to NY. MASETA ran well in all three turf starts last year before trying dirt to no avail in December and then heading to the sidelines; has not improved much so far as a 3yo; tries sprinting as he drops back down second off the claim. GOLQUIST has been a bit inconsistent since winning his debut in a race rained off the grass; nearly pulled off a big upset going longer three starts back while earning an 80 Beyer; drops for the first time with some speed. | Get PPs for this race

4:44 KEE 8th ACTUATOR (#7, 8-1) is a DRF Best Bet (Marcus Hersh). | Get PPs for this race

4:50 WO 1st COURTINGCOURTNEY (#1, 12-1) saved ground over an outside-biased track last time while coming up empty as the favorite. A repeat of her maiden-breaking performance three back (58 Beyer) should be good enough to get the job done in this rock bottom NW2 Tapeta tilt. ZIPPITY DAY is plunging from $15K off a 24 1/2-length drubbing on the inner turf, over which she graduated with a 57 Beyer in her penultimate start. SKINNY DIPPIN benefited from an outside bias when third most recently and is picking up leading rider Kimura for this engagement. | Get PPs for this race

6:26 WO 4th KNOW HOW (#4, 10-1) is stepping up to $25K NW2 company off a stalking second for $15K with leading rider Kimura retaining the mount. Trainer Vito Armata has fared well over the years with horses claimed from Casse, and this GB-bred is by one of the world's best sprint sires, No Nay Never. HENRY'S GAMBLE took the long way home while closing for third when tagged for $40K in her latest. She's getting come class relief and has some speed to chase here under Hernandez. BIG GINGER posted mixed results in her last few and is descending to the level at which she lost by a neck Aug. 4. She could be the dominant frontrunner. KERICS BEAUTY could hit the ticket in her return from a break. | Get PPs for this race

6:58 WO 5th MISS MARIE (#5, 4-1) was second to future Canadian champion 3yo filly Munnyfor Ro in the 2021 Wonder Where Stakes on the main turf. Her subsequent form has been mediocre, but she's tagged for the first time in this NW2 tilt on the inner turf, over which she finished a lapped-on second three back in a 1 1/16-mile N1X. VIVID VIXEN was in fine turf form in the summer and can't be as bad as her last dismal performance would indicate. She's also getting some class relief, and her lone inner turf excursion in June resulted in a close second-place finish in a maiden special. PEMBERLEY appears to be on the improve should be used underneath in the gimmicks, along with the possible pacesetter TRIZZEL TRAZZEL. | Get PPs for this race

10:55 RP 7th PANDEMIC CAT (#5, 10-1) has a nice foundation of races on his resume for the move to two turns. He also draws a useful kind of post. BRIGGSEY - who must overcome the wide gate - made a nice move forward from his first start to his second and owns the field's best last-race Beyer Speed Figure. SOUL SACRIFICE turned a bullet five-eighths in preparation for his two-turn debut. | Get PPs for this race