Finger Lakes pick five play for Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026

RACE 4: Not wild about trying to parse these two-turn maiden races down into something manageable for the sake of saving bullets, as invariably something marginally unpredictable happens and your ticket is kaput. Rather than go deep and lop off one or (at most, in this field) two, I’ll use them all and hope for a little bit of chaos. (7)

RACE 5: CINNAMON SUGAR is easy to like based on her last couple of Beyers and the fact that she has the ability to sit off the pace and make one run, as there is clearly a fair amount of early zip in this field. She should be tough to stave off in the lane. (1)

RACE 6: KHALI’S DREAM does like to run second, as he has in each of his last four starts, but he’s also capable of stealing this if he can shake loose in the opening stages for high-percentage trainer Chris Englehart. He does figure to get clear with relative ease, just a matter if he can last. MAX FOSTER shouldn’t be too far off the pace in the opening stages, and he could be the one to get first run at the expected pacesetter. BREAKING STONES has steady figures, and his best recent Beyers give him strong credibility. TOMMY THE TORCH is the main pace foe to Khali’s Dream, and he’s inside that rival. (4)

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RACE 7: MAMBAGIGI has been away since June, but if she is ready off the layoff for Englehart – who wins at 24 percent with horses returning from this type of break – she could be the one to beat at this reduced level. There is other speed in here, but she could be quickest of them all. BLUE EYED SCOUT cuts back to a shorter sprint, and she could be one of the main beneficiaries of a duel up front. This could, in fact, be her best distance. GLORY BOUND CLARA has a decent closing kick of her own, and she’s another who wouldn’t mind a quick, contested pace developing. (3)

RACE 8: CAMILLE’S LEGACY comes out of some paceless races, but she lands in another such race here and may be the one they have to catch as the inside post and the addition of blinkers figure to help her stay closer in the opening stages. She’ll be tough to reel in if she’s allowed to get clear and back down the early splits. (1)

THE PLAY: ALL / 5 / 1, 5, 6, 7 / 2, 4, 7 / 2 = $42 ticket

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