BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $2,048

Today’s sixth race is for 2-year-olds, and your morning line favorite is Pop Idol. Pop Idol is a daughter of the mare Unspurned, which rang a bell with me for reasons I couldn’t figure out. That changed when Joe Nevills, one of my best friends, got in touch in a tone I can only describe as “planet-wrecking rage” when I didn’t back her in that event.

Unspurned is the dam of an off-track thoroughbred owned by Joe and his wife, several-time Eclipse winner Natalie Voss. Formerly named Underscore, he’s now named Blueberry, and he and Natalie compete in equestrian competitions. To say Joe and Natalie have a rooting interest in this race would be putting it mildly!

The bigger, more serious lesson here: Aftercare is vital. Thoroughbreds only race for a very short part of their lives, and not all of them go on to breeding careers as stallions and broodmares. There are a number of organizations (New Vocations, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, and Racing For Home, to name three) that do outstanding work in that space, and their efforts are definitely worth your support.

WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS: The fourth race got moved off the turf, so all of my action was cancelled.

THURSDAY’S PLAY: My best bet of the day is in the ninth of 10 races, which makes this an ideal time to play the Grand Slam. I’ll have a $1 ticket starting in the sixth that goes as follows: 1,7,9 with 2,5,6 with 8,9 with 3. Furthermore, I’ll have a $12 win bet on that single, #3 STRICTLY TABOO. For more on these races, check out this week’s edition of “Drank’n Champagne” below!

TOTAL WAGERED: $30.

Winners and Whiners is your home for the best sportsbook bonuses on the market. Check out expert handicapping picks for all major sports, including baseball, basketball, hockey, and football!

SELECTIONS/ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Strictly Taboo, Race 9
Longshot: Diamond Status, Race 10

R1

Route Sensation
Blakely’s Wish
Endless Vow

#2 ROUTE SENSATION (5/2): Got plenty of education in her debut, when she blew the break, rushed into a stalking position, and faded to third. Blinkers go on at second asking, and the two-back work over this track makes me think she’s sitting on an improved effort; #1 BLAKELY’S WISH (2-1): Debuts for a high-percentage barn and is bred to be precocious. She’s kin to both Firenze Fire and Andiamo a Firenze, who both showed talent early, and my only question is whether or not the form she’s flashed in works at Monmouth will travel north; #4 ENDLESS VOW (4-1): Is a first-time starter for a barn whose horses tend to need a race or two to get going. However, there’s one massive work on her tab that stands out, and that’s enough to make me wonder if she’s ready to run.

R2

Protective (MTO)
Passive Management
Stop the Press

#6 PASSIVE MANAGEMENT (7/5): Had no pace to chase in his unveiling, and while he won’t offer a ton of value, he hits me as the most likely winner. Any sort of step forward will make him a handful, especially if he gets any speed in front of him, at all, whatsoever; #1 STOP THE PRESS (6-1): Was disappointing in two starts at Aqueduct, but perhaps he just doesn’t like that turf course. His form earlier this year at Keeneland and Tampa was fine, and him running back to those races isn’t impossible; #5 BADGE OF WAR (8-1): Steps up in class here but gets the services of Frankie Dettori and seems to be improving. He showed some early zip last time out, and I’m expecting him to be forwardly-placed in this spot.

R3

Rotknee
Light Man
Looms Boldly

#5 ROTKNEE (8/5): Is battle-tested and drops back into state-bred company for this event after finishing fourth in the Grade 2 True North. He’s 3-for-3 at this level dating back to October, and the rider switch to Irad Ortiz, Jr., is a notable one; #3 LIGHT MAN (9/2): Has done very little wrong to this point in his career, with four wins and a second in five starts. This is his stakes debut for a smaller barn that’s enjoyed plenty of success to this point in the summer; #6 LOOMS BOLDLY (3-1): Was a hard-luck second here in June and earned a massive speed figure that day. That track was very, very fast that day, though, and while he’s shown an abundance of early zip before, I think banking on a repeat of his last-out performance may be asking too much.

R4

Eighty West
Storm the Streets
Friday Surprise

#1 EIGHTY WEST (5/2): Debuted with a decent second at Churchill against open company, and now runs against restricted maidens at second asking. Between the class drop and the experience he gained last time out, there’s plenty to like; #6 STORM THE STREETS (8-1): Dueled early in his debut before fading badly in the stretch, but that day’s winner is a nice horse and this barn’s first-time starters on dirt aren’t usually fully-cranked. Luis Saez stays on, and he shouldn’t have to go very fast early to make the lead; #4 FRIDAY SURPRISE (7/5): Rallied to finish a close-up second in his debut at Parx, but I simply cannot endorse him at his likely short price. Parx form doesn’t always travel, and while it’s impressive that he closed at first asking, I’m not sure what he ran against. This may be a tougher spot, and he may need to improve, which makes that morning line price an underlay.

R5

Luna Moth (MTO)
Avenue Niel
Lady Emily Kathryn

#3 AVENUE NIEL (6-1): Is a tepid top pick in a race they’ve tried to card two or three different times. She makes her 2024 debut in this spot and was last seen in an optional claimer that produced Chili Flag, one of the country’s top turf distaffers. If she’s ready to run, she could pop at a bit of a price; #4 LADY EMILY KATHRYN (15-1): Merits a look at bonkers odds as one of the few that figure to go early. Toss the two Churchill Downs turf races, and her form looks miles better. We’ve seen those shippers run well a lot so far at this stand; #1 ASPEN GROVE (1-1): Has back form that would bury this bunch, but I have my doubts. That win in last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks was for another trainer, and while she’s been competitive against tough horses lately, she’s a deep closer that may need a lot to go right.

R6

Rematch
Mean Eileen
Moonlight Promises

#1 REMATCH (3-1): Debuts for Shug McGaughey and attracts Irad Ortiz, Jr., which may be a clue she’s well-meant. This daughter of The Factor is out of a very dam that’s produced 10 winners, including Grade 1-winning 2-year-old Mani Bhaven; #9 MEAN EILEEN (9/2): Is another debutante with a strong bottom-side pedigree. Her second dam is Grade 1-winning turfer Rutherienne, and this barn’s first-out turf horses have shown they can fire right away; #7 MOONLIGHT PROMISES (8-1): Debuted in an off-the-turf race downstate, where she ran second behind a much-the-best winner that repeated at next asking. Her pedigree says turf is what she wants. She gets that here and could take advantage of an experience edge she has over most of this bunch.

R7

Bourbon Serengeti
Cararra
I’m Thinking

#6 BOURBON SERENGETI (3-1): Drops in for a tag for the first time and is eligible to improve second off a six-month layoff for Brad Cox. The stretchout to this distance is a concern, but her pedigree says she should love this route, and it’s not like there are any world-beaters in here; #5 CARARRA (6-1): Sure looks like the main speed in here, and had to run in a completely different way last time out at Churchill. I’m expecting her to dictate terms from the jump, and that’s often a fantastic trip out of the Wilson chute; #2 I’M THINKING (5/2): Is another dropping in for a tag and may be favored after a second-place finish downstate going shorter. Her one-mile effort two starts back wasn’t great, but that was in just her second career start, so perhaps forgiving that clunker is the right move.

R8

Radical Right
Lost in Rome
Lark’s Mischief

#9 RADICAL RIGHT (7/2): Makes his first start for Linda Rice and has several efforts from earlier this year that, if repeated, could make his local debut a winning one. He exits an ultra-tough optional claiming event that produced several next-out winners, and he could sit an ideal stalking trip in a race full of early speed; #8 LOST IN ROME (8-1): Seems like this race’s lone true closer and would benefit from a pace meltdown. He’s an established horse at this level, and jockey Dylan Davis is riding as well as anyone in this colony at the moment; #5 LARK’S MISCHIEF (5/2): Has shown speed against better and drops into open claiming company for the first time since November. That start was a wire-to-wire score at Churchill, and Irad Ortiz, Jr., hopping aboard for Mike Maker tends to command attention.

R9

Strictly Taboo
Bank On Anna (MTO)
Weekend Rags

#3 STRICTLY TABOO (5/2): Has looked like a new horse this season, as she’s gone 2-for-2 in local starts at this route. Some horses that like this 5 1/2-furlong turf trip truly relish it, and while the margins of victory look fairly unimpressive, she was much the best in both outings; #5 WEEKEND RAGS (5-1): Prevailed in a first-level allowance two back before finishing second in an off-the-turf event earlier this summer. Turf is what she wants, and while her one local start was unimpressive, Flavien Prat picks up the mount, and that’s impossible to ignore; #1 FANCYPANTS JULIANA (6-1): Won for the first time in more than a year last time out, when she closed with a rush to clear her first-level allowance condition. Closers on the rail tend to need a lot to go right, but she’s never been worse than third in three local starts.

R10

Oh My Mia (MTO)
Diamond Status
Turf Rocket

#1 DIAMOND STATUS (10-1): Is a reluctant top pick in a Thursday finale where I lack a strong opinion. At a minimum, though, this mare looks like the main speed on the inner turf, which can be a dangerous combination. She could lead them quite a long way at a price, and she could prove tough to run down if she gets comfortable; #3 TURF ROCKET (4-1): Exits a fourth-place finish behind a runner that’s since come back to win again and gets a rider switch to Junior Alvarado. Her connections saw fit to run her against She Feels Pretty in the Hilltop Stakes earlier this year, so they’ve clearly been high on her, and she’s got some potential to improve; #7 SIZZLE (6-1): Is lightly-raced and ships up from Florida for a small barn that’s shown it can win races in bunches. She was a fast-closing third going a bit shorter last time out, and while whether or not her form will travel up from Gulfstream is anyone’s guess, Flavien Prat sees fit to ride and the two-back work across the street was far from bad.