Scioto: Analysis for Saturday 5/23

POST TIME 6:30 PM E.D.T.

BEST BET: WONDER BULL (Race 4)

SPOT PLAY: ROCKN MOTION (Race 7)

Race 5: $10,000 Guaranteed Pick 5 (14% Takeout)

.50 Pick 5 Ticket: 1,5,6,9 / 1,3,4 / 9,10 / 1,2,3,5 / 10 = $48

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Race 1: NW3500 in last 4 / 7500Clm (Pick 4)

(3) BUCKETHEAD FRED qualified in good order and was facing better company earlier this year. Three-time winner in 12 starts here last year should prove tough. (9) PRINCE BAYARD is another who was up slightly in class back in March. He'll need a trip from post 9, but it isn’t impossible. (2) ARCH O MATIC picks up Page. Gelding has 14 on-the-board finishes in 27 starts here since 2018.

Race 2: NW 10 races / 30000Clm

(2) SOUTHPORT BEACH was a sharp measured winner in his qualifier and he seems ready to fire fresh for top trainer Virgil Morgan. (5) PINE KNOT TUFF wasn't awful from post 9 in the qualifier and he is a proven winner in this class. (3) DIRTY STEVE went super-fast fractions and paid the price on Sunday. Gelding is another with a good track record in this condition.

Race 3: Starters in a 20000 claimer or less in last 4 (Pick 3)

(5) OBERLIN qualified back sharply at Sunshine Meadows and is as fast as any in here. (3) TRIXSEN GRAM could be in a prime spot from off the pace with a bunch of early speed players in here. (4) HELL ON WHEELS is capable of a big mile but he will have to prove himself for this barn.

Race 4: Starters in a 10000 claimer or less in last 4

(2) WONDER BULL made two moves in a sharp win qualifying on Sunday. He is the most legitimate $10,000 claimer in the field and should prove difficult to beat. (7) KHAN BLUE CHIP ran into all kinds of stretch traffic and appeared to have plenty left in the tank. The bad post is an issue, but the price should be right. (8) NEW PATROL has big early speed in his arsenal and should use it to get a nice piece.

Race 5: Open Pace ($10K GTD Pick 5)

(6) GD WESTERN JOE is more than capable of rolling down the road in this spot for trainer Ron Burke, who is sure to come out hot after two months on the sidelines. (5) MY HERO RON grinded out a nice qualifier for second last Saturday and owns a string of good efforts in this class. (1) SECTIONLINE BIGRY is plenty talented and could blow this field away, but he did lose his gait on the final turn in the recent qualifier, so maybe taking too short of a price is a bad risk. (9) I'M A BIG DEAL qualified back well and has ability; needs a trip.

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Race 6: Starters in a 30000 claimer or less in last 4

Trip will likely play a huge role in the outcome of this close-knit group, especially considering the number of horses capable of showing early speed in the field. (3) ARTSMAH put up a big mile in his lone start for Morgan before the break in action. While he finished last in the qualifier, the effort wasn't as bad as it looks on paper. (1) HAWKS RED CHIEF blew out a solid pace on the engine on Sunday and that can have him tighter for tonight. (4) PONDERINGJACKSFAME raced well at this level after the claim by Kauffman and came back with a game win in his qualifier.

Race 7: NW11500 in last 4 / 30000Clm (Pick 6)

(10) ROCKN MOTION was racing back into shape in March after missing almost a year of action. Five-year-old has had more time to prepare now and showed his form with a sharp qualifier. Post 10 should work out nicely to keep him close early. (9) ESCAPETOTHEBEACH was also very good in his qualifier, finishing second in a very fast mile. Post 9 isn’t ideal here, but I don't see that much early speed to his inside. Let’s use the top two in the multi-race wagers. (3) GOOD ROCKIN and (4) CAPTAIN DOLMIO N seem like good choices on the bottom of your exotic tickets.

Race 8: NW8701 in last 4 / 20000Clm

Here is another good betting race with plenty of options. (2) MACKERAL A looked good in his debut on these shores and while he loses Tyler Smith to #3, he gets a solid replacement in Tetrick. (3) ROYALE ROSE finished up willingly in his qualifier and Smith not only chose off #2, but also morning line favorite #1 to drive; hmmm. (5) BAMBINO JOE went free-legged in his qualifier and seemed to enjoy the lack of equipment. He could move to new speed heights. (1) LOCKTON LUCK A was keeping good company out of town, but I'm not certain he is fast enough; we'll see.

Race 9: NW6 races or $40,000 life (Pick 4)

(10) CAPTAIN SUNSHINE moved into the Ron Burke barn over COVID-19 vacation and clearly loved the regimen, as he posted an eye-catching 1:51 2/5 qualifying win here on Sunday. Maybe this 4-year-old son of Captaintreacherous has a future in the overnight Open ranks? (8) BLLACK HOLE couldn't come close to the winner on Sunday, but that was his first start since September. Ohio 3-year-old champ is very fast and can grind it with the best of them. (4) LION ROCK N tends to race well in this class and has a good record over the track, but he is up against it versus the top pair.

Race 10: NW3500 in last 4 / 7500Clm (Pick 3)

(9) FOX VALLEY REBEL & (8) LETTUCEROCKTHEM A both qualified in 1:55 and finished up in 27 3/5, but the latter won his race and is 2-1 on the morning-line versus 12-1 for the former. Both were facing better back in March and competitive. I'll lean to the better price but use both in multi-race exotics. (4) OMEGA CAT couldn’t get involved from post 9 in his qualifier. He has a shot here with a good trip and 'A' performance.

Race 11: Starters in a 12500 claimer or less in last 4

(1) MATTAMERICAN makes his first start in this class after getting claimed by Morgan back in March. The effort was nothing to write home about, but he's historically done well at this level. (8) SEDONA SEELSTER has big early speed and if he clears the top, I wouldn’t be shocked if he went a long way. (6) ROLLING THUNDER was buried behind a wall of horses with no shot in his qualifier, but he didn’t draw into the easiest field.

Race 12: NW6500 in last 4 / 15000Clm

(2) FOURBOLTMANE dealt with some stretch traffic in his qualifier but I couldn't really tell how much pace he had left. Eight-year-old is in the right class to win and I'll take a shot here at what I expect will be a price. (3) CAPTAIN VELOCITY grinded uncovered nicely in his Sunday effort and is another that is well-spotted tonight. (5) STUCKEY DOTE was never asked late in his qualifier and he is certainly fast enough to win on paper; another contender.