David: 

There appears to be plenty of speed signed on in this opener, but I also wonder if the pace may not materialize as expected if #1 What's Up Bro fails to break sharply from the rail (wouldn't be the first time) and I'm Wide Awake's connections overcorrect for the mistake last time.

Both horses who contested that wicked pace going 7 furlongs on July 5 ran pretty well in defeat. I suppose I'm a little harsher on #4 I'm Wide Awake for losing at a short price, but Luis Saez just let him run off far too aggressively, one of many instances of poor judgment by him at this meet. The turnback to 6 furlongs should help, but that move also benefits #2 Yo Banana Boy, who should be a bigger price. This horse was pretty game last time, never getting discouraged despite being put on a hard chase every step of the way, and he even edged out I'm Wide Awake on the wire. He's second off a layoff, and might have more room for improvement.

Mike: 

With Trust Fund out, I'll also use a lot of #1 What's Up Bro. I don't trust I'm Wide Awake. 

For wagers below: (D) = David, (M) = Marcus

Mike:

The only horse I could bet in this race is #7 Just Clarity, at something like his ML odds. Being the lone 3-year-old in the field doesn't concern me in races like this, and his win in January when rallying strongly from off the pace probably makes him good enough here. He has been looking for the right level since then and might have found it against this underachieving group. 

I thought #8 Glint was the horse to beat, but I'm not taking a short price on him.

David: 

I don't have much interest in betting this race, as I put logical favorite #8 Glint on top. The turnback is a minor question, but he just seems like the best horse in the race and figures to get a good trip from his outside draw.

David: 

The logical runner with experience is #7 Trading Trouble, but I wonder how much room she has to improve second time out after running so well on debut. If I'm going to bet anyone from that Sacred Goddess race, I would instead go for #3 Charlottesuniverse. She had worked well on the way into that start, but just ran like a horse who probably needed the race for fitness. She showed good early speed to chase a fast pace and took over, but then just came up empty when called upon in upper stretch. Mark Casse is 13 for 56 (23%, $2.18 ROI) with 2YO maiden second time starters in turf sprints over 5 years, and he's 5:2-2-0 (40%, $4.00 ROI) at Saratoga within that sample.

I also respect the speed of #2 Run On States, who switches to turf. I think it's interesting the connections scratched out of an easier dirt race to run here instead, and she actually does have decent turf pedigree. I just preferred the Casse runner with surface experience.

Mike: 

I generally want horses with a prior start in races like this, and maybe Charlottesuniverse just needed one for fitness, but I thought she was pretty bad after getting bet first time out. I also found little to like about the other experienced runners in this field, so I guessed with the two firsters drawn outside. No bets.

Mike:

We'll see if #4 White Palomino is ready to go after nearly 400 days on the sidelines. He was good before being sidelined last year and seemed like one with even more room to improve at that time. If he needs one, this race becomes wide-open and, for me, becomes more about horses that I don't like than about ones I do.

#6 Be of Courage might actually be the horse to beat with the questions surrounding Chad's horse. I'm not sure what that ride was last time, but his effort there confirms that he remains in good form. He's another horse I don't need a short price on, but I respect him.

#9 Common Defense is interesting switching to turf for the first time with pedigree, but I will take a shot with #8 Pancake House at a price. This race is not as tough as it looked at first glance - at least in my opinion - and this horse's good turf form is obscured by a bunch of starts on dirt. 

David: 

I like #4 White Palomino as a horse, and you generally don't have to worry about layoffs with Chad Brown runners. I was more concerned about the distance, since this horse seems like one who's cut out to go farther than a mile, and his main strength last season was stamina rather than turn of foot.

I thought about putting #9 Common Defense on top, since I do think he'll handle the switch to turf. His underrated sire Karakontie wins with an outstanding 17% of his first time turfers. I just worry he may get a wide trip from this post, especially going a mile.

#6 Be of Courage has been a little unlucky lately, but he is in better form than it appears. He got the wrong trip in the Kingston, wanted no part of 12 furlongs two back, and then was much the best when running off on the lead last time. He now gets a pretty significant rider switch from one jockey who has been struggling to another riding better than anybody at this meet. I think this is his time to get back to the winner's circle, and he probably won't be favored even though his form suggests he should be.

David: 

I didn't have a strong feel for this claimer, and probably won't get involved in this race. The entry is obviously dangerous, but I thought #1 Amundson took a subtle step backwards when losing with a perfect trip last time, and #1A Looms Boldly has been off form. I do somewhat prefer the latter, who drops in class and finds a more favorable pace scenario here. He's just tough to bet with his price getting dragged down by the entrymate.

I put #5 Great Richie M on top with no real conviction. This a horse Flying P dropped to win at Saratoga, perhaps lower than was necessary, so the new connections might have found a bargain picking him up for just $16k. He's been consistent at higher levels than this, and Rob Atras's horses have run fine even though he's winless at the meet.

Mike: 

I'll bet #7 Show Time and hope that Looms Boldly fails to re-find his form. To me, Show Time is clearly better sprinting, yet he has spent almost his entire career racing around two turns. He turns back off a freshening, and his good race makes him a contender here at a fair price.

Mike:

I guessed with #6 Golden Tornado as far as picks go, but will not be betting this race full of first-time starters. 

David: 

There appears to be some quality in this race. #6 Golden Tornado has been working well, but I have no interest in taking Danny Gargan first time starters, since they're too often overbet. #2 Oscar's Hope appears to be working well for Tom Amoss, but he's another likely to take money.

The horse I'll bet a few bucks on is #4 Stone County, who I made my top pick. I'm not sure that he's quite ready to win on debut, since he doesn't appear to possess much early speed. John Ortiz has been training him to rally from off the pace, and I like the way he's been finishing off his recent workouts. This half-brother to Subrogate should be coming late at a price.

David: 

When going through the handicapping process, I thought I was going to be more firmly against #7 Exact Estimate than I ultimately was. I still think he's a beatable favorite, but I won't be surprised when he finds this level to his liking. The main concern with him is that he's a forwardly placed runner who drew outside of other speed, so I wonder if he'll get his preferred trip. I also ended up more against the other short price #6 Depiction than I was anticipating. When I take his form apart, the only races that make him formidable here are those in which he received perfect setups with very fast paces at Keeneland. I don't really like any of his other starts that much, and he figures to get bet.

#1 Resilience is the key to this race, since he may be too classy for this group if he handles turf. That's generally a pretty big "if" with horses making surface switches, but this guy has pedigree for turf as a full-brother to recent Manila runner-up Capitol Hill. I also like the workout video of him breezing over the Oklahoma turf, as he really seemed to take to it naturally. I expect him to run well, but I also doubt he's going to be some enticing price given his reputation.

The horse I settled on is #5 Itsallcomintogetha. He's another with early speed, but I don't want to get too caught up in pace scenarios, especially going a mile on the inner. He has rated effectively a few times in his career, and I like this rider upgrade to Jose Lezcano. I make that point particularly in light of his last race, where I thought Jose Gomez moved too aggressively on the far turn and paid the price late. A mile is perfect for him, and he's proven that he's good enough to win a race like this.

Mike: 

I landed on #1 Resilience, but I hate betting horses like him at short-ish prices, and he will take money in here. The rest of this field is comprised of horses I am very familiar with and have no interest in betting real money on. 

Mike:

I thought this race came down to #2 Damon's Mound and #3 Maximus Meridius, and I prefer Damon's Mound.  I'll use them both, but will lean on the 2.

David: 

Mike and I landed on the same two horses, and I put the bigger price #3 Maximus Meridius on top. He didn't run fast last time, but he shows a light worktab for that return, so he will probably be set to move forward here. He ran races over the winter that will beat this field.

David: 

As Mike (and some readers) already know, I'm a big fan of #6 Laurelin. I've been talking this horse up ever since her eye-catching debut at Aqueduct last October where she made multiple moves within the race to win. She's continued to improve in each subsequent start despite earning some relatively modest speed figures this season. She beat her main rival in the Memories of Silver off the bench when that foe already had a race under belt. And last time Laurelin got the job done over a yielding turf course at Penn National. That race appears to be stronger than the 80 Beyer it received, since runner-up Candy Quest and third-place Reining Flowers both came back to run well in stakes, improving their Beyers by 11 and 18 points, respectively. I'm not worried about the distance given her pedigree, and I'm viewing her as a very likely winner. I also don't see her being some extremely short price since she's still mildly underrated, especially for a horse with this kind of record.

I respect the recent improvement of #1 Opulent Restraint, I think distance will aid #2 Sigh No More, and I know Mike makes a convincing case for another contender. I just don’t have much interest in taking on this legitimate favorite.

Mike: 

The favorites are solid in this race. It's not like the 1 and 6 don't have any questions to answer, however. #4 Evershed also has questions to answer, but she might be 10/1 in here. And she does appear to have some talent. She was clearly prepping in the sprint debut as a 2-year-old, then immediately improved to win her second start before getting the winter off. She ran even better in her first start this year while confidently handled throughout before powering away from that field, and she is bred to get better with time and distance. 

Mike:

I initially thought I might be a bit more strongly against #6 Far Bridge in this race, but after going through it a couple of times, I think he is going to be very hard to beat. He is a deserving favorite. 

I can see using #7 El Rezeen with him, but my main alternative is #9 Utah Beach, who loves this distance, tends to get good trips, and exits a race where I thought he was compromised when bumped hard in the stretch by the eventual winner. 

David: 

I'm also not way against #6 Far Bridge, but I also don’t view him as the most trustworthy horse at a short price, while acknowledging that he might be the most talented runner in this field.

I'll take a shot against him with the other Godolphin/Appleby shipper #1 El Cordobes. This progressive gelding is the kind of horse that Appleby had success with when he first started invading North America before he started keeping a string of horses here and his numbers tapered off. He has the tactical speed to be forward in a race that features a murky pace scenario, and I think he's run well enough this year to suggest that he fits with this group.

David: 

I stared at this race for a while and had trouble getting to a place of confidence. I don't have much interest in #1 Practical Lov, who steps up off a maiden win and now draws inside of other speed. Between the two Chad Browns, I prefer #2 Limes Don't Lie, who had an interesting trip last time. I just don't love the race she exits and wonder if she's fast enough.

I ultimately settled on #8 Next On Stage, who ran well when switched back to dirt behind Ragtime, who just barely lost the Grade 1 Test. I know it seems like the performance came out of nowhere, but when you isolate her dirt races, it becomes clear that she's been steadily improving for a long time. She ran better than speed figures indicate in that Feb. 23 key race, from which many horses have since improved. She'll be tough if she merely holds her form, and she probably won't go favored for these connections. Hardly my strongest opinion, but it's the best I've got.

Mike: 

I like all of #2 Limes Don't Lie's races and want to bet her in this race. I'd like to see her get out of that gate alertly this time, but I think she is better than she looks on paper, and going shorter is only going to help her. 

Mike:

I don't want to advocate too hard for #2 Amplitude as the favorite in the last race, but I do think the distance of this race suits him better than anyone else in the field. He is lightly raced and can easily move forward off his seasonal debut, where he was rated all the way back to last from his far outside post before passing horses late. 

I'm a fan of #7 Fidelightcayut, and he might finally be back in a spot where he can be effective, so he was my other horse.

David: 

#7 Felightcayut has been facing tougher company in almost all of his recent starts at Monmouth. He's also getting a pretty significant rider upgrade from the jockeys who rode him the last couple of times. He's usually a fair price when he runs in New York, and I just thought he made the most sense in this spot. #5 El de Larry ran better than #2 Amplitude when they met last time, holding on for third after contesting a strong pace. I just think my top pick is better than both of them.