BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,141.50

If something weird can happen to someone while traveling by air, chances are it’s happened to me the past few years.

On Wednesday, my streak continued with an aborted landing in Chicago. Apparently, a plane that was supposed to be off the ground was still on the runway when we attempted to land. As a result, we went back into the air and circled around for a bit before completing the landing about 15 minutes later.

The important thing, though, is that I’m here and headed to the track with family this weekend. I’m an easy guy to find; if you’re there, look up!

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS: My Pick Five was refunded when my first-leg single scratched.

THURSDAY’S PLAY: I’ll focus on the sixth race, which to me is the most fun betting race on a card where those may be hard to come by (I’m still assuming, by the way, that all turf races are off the grass). I’ll box #3 LE DOM BRO, #6 ALWAYS DIALED, and #10 GAME MISCONDUCT in $3 exactas, and I’ll put a $12 win bet on Always Dialed, who’s my top selection.

TOTAL WAGERED: $30.

ANALYSIS/SELECTIONS

Wednesday: 5-for-8
Meet: 27-for-94

Best Bet: Knockzcatoffzfence, Race 2
Longshot: Game Misconduct, Race 6

R1

Permed
Honey Dijon
Bundchen

#5 PERMED (5/2): Has run second twice in two prior efforts downstate and looms large regardless of the surface. She’s got plenty of early speed, and Luis Saez sees fit to ride (he fills in for Irad Ortiz, Jr., who’s serving a suspension); #6 HONEY DIJON (5-1): Showed some speed last time out before fading to fifth, and I think there’s reason to believe she’s sitting on a bigger effort. Joe Sharp doesn’t always have first-time starters fully cranked, and the recent bullet drill inspires some confidence; #3 BUNDCHEN (2-1): Contested the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot last time out, and this spot’s just a bit weaker than that one. My hesitation is due to the fact that she failed to capitalize on what looked like a perfect trip in her debut, which came over a muddy track.

R2

Knockzcatoffzfence
Montauk Mystique
Strange Fruit

#1 KNOCKZCATOFFZFENCE (2-1): Has found a very soft spot in which to debut and comes in off of several strong local workouts. I’m a bit surprised she’s running for a tag, to be honest, and anything close to her work tab would make her the one to beat; #4 MONTAUK MYSTIQUE (7/2): Flashed some early speed last time out before fading badly to finish eighth against higher-level opposition. Her pedigree says she’ll like a wet track, and perhaps the class drop will wake her up; #6 STRANGE FRUIT (9/2): Didn’t run well in her local debut last time, but she has enough back form to hint that that may be an aberration. Her two-back effort saw her run second against similar downstate, and she’s one of only a few in here that’s shown she can run on late.

R3

Rock the Weekend (MTO)
Tallahatchiebridge
More Than Work

#13 ROCK THE WEEKEND (6-1): Has won two in a row and was claimed last time out by a barn that knows how to win with new acquisitions. He’s got some tactical speed and has the potential to sit a perfect stalking trip; #1 TALLAHATCHIEBRIDGE (7/2): Hasn’t been seen since February, but he beat an allowance field that day and has plenty of back form on turf and dirt. This barn is firing so far at this stand, and these connections are aggressive enough to where the drop in class isn’t a red flag for me; #3 MORE THAN WORK (10-1): Was third in an off-the-turf race at this level last time out. That, though, was a fast race with a much-the-best winner, and this field seems a bit weaker.

R4

Dust Devil
Maximum Impact
Two Thirty Five

#5 DUST DEVIL (6/5): Exits a win at this route earlier in the meet and goes first off the claim for a barn that doesn’t reach in for many but excels when it does. He should have plenty of pace to rate behind, and a repeat effort likely beats this bunch; #6 MAXIMUM IMPACT (8-1): Had a very nice two-back win at this level at Churchill and also boasts a win over an off track earlier this year at Mahoning Valley. I’m taking the last-out race at Charles Town with a grain of salt, as some horses just don’t like the bullring; #1 TWO THIRTY FIVE (3-1): Led most of the way in the race my top pick exits, but was claimed that day and has shown he likes wet tracks. He’s 4-for-9 over off going, and he has enough early speed to utilize his inside draw.

R5

Miss d’Or Cherie
Recency
Ekwanok

#9 MISS D’OR CHERIE (7/2): Has been working consistently downstate and draws a cushy outside post for her unveiling here. She hammered for $300,000 at the OBS sale earlier this year, and there’s reason to believe she’s got some talent; #5 RECENCY (9/2): Makes her first start for Chad Brown and is bred in the purple, being by Tapwrit and out of a mare named Flipcup who was a runner. She hammered for $325,000 last summer and may be a contender despite her pedigree saying she wants way more ground; #3 EKWANOK (12-1): Comes in with an improving work pattern for Rob Atras, one that includes a solid half-mile gate work on August 5th. Kendrick Carmouche wins a lot for this barn, and he figures to have her in the mix early on at a price.

R6

Always Dialed
Le Dom Bro
Game Misconduct

#6 ALWAYS DIALED (6-1): Is a very, very easy horse to root for given the connections, and judging by the work tab, he seems to have some potential. His drills over the training track have been solid ahead of his debut; #3 LE DOM BRO (5/2): Has run second twice at Gulfstream and tries restricted company in this spot. The July 14th work hints that mud won’t be a problem, but if this barn is so confident, why is it also entering a 20-1 shot?; #10 GAME MISCONDUCT (20-1): Rushed up after a stumble in his debut and understandably faded when the real running started. However, he gets a much better draw here, and Javier Castellano sees fit to ride back. I think he could easily improve and grab a piece of this at big odds.

R7

Quarrel
Be My Sunshine
Virtual Reality (MTO)

#9 QUARREL (10-1): Can run a bit on either dirt or turf, and I think she’ll like the stretchout to two turns. Her lone win came going two turns on turf at Aqueduct, and she’s got tactical speed in a race without a lot of that elsewhere; #10 BE MY SUNSHINE (8-1): Tried the Grade 3 Selene at Woodbine last time out, and that didn’t go well. She drops back down to what’s probably the right level, and the two dirt works make me think she’ll handle that surface just fine if she gets the chance; #1A VIRTUAL REALITY (4-1): Settled for second in the first race of the meet and did so in visually-unimpressive fashion. She was on the lead that day and that field crawled home. It’s possible she wins, but I think she’ll be a significant underlay solely because of her powerhouse connections.

R8

Moving Pictures
With Know Name
Magical Ways

#5 MOVING PICTURES (5/2): Has a record that looks much better if you draw a line through the two-back clunker on turf. He takes a bit of a class drop to run here and just missed in the slop back in May at Belmont; #4 WITH KNOW NAME (8-1): Hasn’t run since October, but comes in off of a very sharp workout and will make his first start since being gelded. The ultimate equipment change can move horses forward significantly, and Castellano hopping aboard for Morley is usually a good sign; #2 MAGICAL WAYS (2-1): Found starter allowance foes much too tough in his last two starts and drops back in for a tag. The drop merits respect, but it wasn’t like he beat world-beaters to break his maiden in April, and this isn’t a bad group for the level.

R9

South Street (MTO)
Deputy Connect
Miracle Mike

#13 SOUTH STREET (9/5): Was one-paced last time out against what was probably a better group of horses. He’s bred to love a wet track, first-call rider Jose Lezcano is up for Linda Rice, and he looms large if this race gets moved off the turf; #7 DEPUTY CONNECT (6-1): Probably found the nine-furlong distance last time out a bit too far, and it didn’t help that the winner ran off the screen. Prat rides back for Brad Cox, and the cutback to a one-mile trip should really help him; #5 MIRACLE MIKE (12-1): Graduated last time out by rallying from 10th to get the money against maiden claimers. He tries winners for the first time, but his debut in the slop last year was a strong race and this field isn’t without early speed, which could set up for his late kick.

R10

Pay Zone
Kasimba
Ride Up (MTO)

#11 PAY ZONE (7/2): Has shown early speed in all three of his prior outings and likely makes the lead on either turf or dirt. In particular, though, his two dirt outings time out well against this group, and he seems like the one they’ll have to catch; #6 KASIMBA (3-1): Has run second in all four of his lifetime starts and ships up from Monmouth for this one. This is another that wants to go early, though his last-out try was sharp enough to make me think turf’s really what he wants; #13 RIDE UP (8/5): Drops in class for a trainer that’s won a lot of races so far this summer. Having said that, I don’t think this one is a sprinter, and he might be left with plenty to do late against some horses with early speed. At his likely price, I’ll happily try to beat him.