BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $200

We’re back with five days of racing in upstate New York. If you’re new to this section, we’ll look to manage our money effectively in this section and turn a profit over the course of this week. If the selections in The Pink Sheet’s pick box are “Handicapping 101,” this is “Handicapping 201” for players looking to get the most bang for their wagering buck.

Last summer was the best season I’ve ever had since this section started (thank you, May Day Ready!). We’ll look to keep the momentum going through Belmont Stakes weekend and, looking further down the road, the annual summer meet.

WEDNESDAY’S PLAYS: I’ll focus on linking my most likely winner of the day with three middle-priced horses in the next race. That strong lean is #8 STERLING SILVER in the eighth, the Critical Eye (a race where she’ll likely be an odds-on favorite). I’ll single her in $10 doubles that end with #2 SPINNING COLORS, #5 AWESOME CZECH, and #9 BROCKNARDINI in the ninth, the Mount Vernon.

TOTAL WAGERED: $30.

SELECTIONS/ANALYSIS

Best Bet: The Paddock Pastor, Race 5
Longshot: Alpine Giant, Race 3

R1

Awakened
Carloun
Proven Innocent

#2 AWAKENED (2-1): Hasn’t raced in nearly a year, but is a proven Grade 1-caliber steeplechase horse when he’s right. He took the Jonathan Sheppard here back in 2023, and if he’s ready to go off the bench, he’ll be a major player in the Beverly Steinman; #1 CARLOUN (7/2): Certainly looks like he controlling speed in this event, and that’s always dangerous. He won three in a row before being pulled up in his 2025 debut, and he should have every chance to dictate terms from the jump here; #5 PROVEN INNOCENT (5/2): Has a win and a second from two local starts and goes third off he bench in here. He was fourth in a Grade 1 last time out and gets in fairly light on weight, carrying just 146 pounds.

R2

Mo Plex
Train the Trainer
Soontobeking

#6 MO PLEX (2-1): Is an ultra-consistent sort who’s 4-for-4 going seven furlongs or shorter. That’s the exact trip he gets in the Mike Lee, and the drop from open company to facing New York-breds is notable. His usual race likely makes him tough to beat; #5 TRAIN THE TRAINER (3-1): Ran second to the talented Goal Oriented in his debut at Santa Anita before thumping overmatched maidens downstate last month. This is a significant class jump, and he’ll run without Lasix for the first time, but he’s also making just his third lifetime start and may have room to improve; #1 SOONTOBEKING (9/2): Is already making his 13th career start and boasts earnings of more than $363,000. He ran second behind #3 PRINCE VALIANT (5/2) last time out, but figures to do his best running late in a race with plenty of speed signed on. The rail draw, however, could be a problem for a horse that has found trouble quite a bit.

R3

Alpine Giant
No Ordinary Love
Bodegas

#3 ALPINE GIANT (12-1): Is a bit of a wacky pick, but I think there’s stuff to like at a big price. She was very green in her debut, when she threw a fit before the race and got spooked during it. The layoff is a concern, but she boasts several very strong local workouts and attracts Manny Franco in a race that doesn’t appear to have attracted any monsters for the level; #7 NO ORDINARY LOVE (6-1): Boasts a strong turf pedigree, being out of a More Than Ready mare that won a Grade 3 on the lawn at two. That mare, More Than Love, has thrown three other foals, and they’ve all won at least once; #1 BODEGAS (12-1): Was one-paced in her debut, which got rained off the turf and onto Aqueduct’s main track. Her pedigree, though, says she wants the lawn. She’s kin to two turf winners, she has a right to improve with a race under her belt, and Luis Saez sees fit to hop aboard.

R4

Bank Frenzy
Drake’s Passage
Locke and Key

#8 BANK FRENZY (7/5): Tried much tougher last time out in the Grade 3 Westchester, and he didn’t disgrace himself by running fourth. He’d previously reeled off four straight wins, and he figures to sit an ideal stalking trip in the Commentator over the same track where he won last year’s Evan Shipman; #5 DRAKE’S PASSAGE (4-1): Is an “all-or-nothing” sort of horse, and when he’s off his game, it’s not pretty. However, he’s run two of the best races of his career at the Spa, including last year’s renewal of this race, which he won in wire-to-wire fashion; #6 LOCKE AND KEY (8-1): Has shown an ability to close going two turns, albeit on the turf. That’s not a common trait in this group, one that features several horses with plenty of early zip. If they go very fast early, this one could clunk up for a piece of it at a price.

R5

The Paddock Pastor
Pay the Juice
Sounds Like a Plan

#10 THE PADDOCK PASTOR (3-1): Didn’t have a great trip in his return to New York last time out, but he still managed to run a solid second in a similar-level spot. Irad Ortiz, Jr., sees fit to ride back for trainer Amelia Green (who’s gotten off to a strong start on her own), and it seems like he’ll have plenty of pace to close into; #2 PAY THE JUICE (4-1): Came off the bench to run third in the race my top pick exits. He ran well twice here last summer (albeit going one turn, not two), and Flavien Prat hops back aboard for this one’s second start off the layoff; #4 SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN (5/2): Nearly stole the Woodhaven on the lead at a price, but I’ve got some doubts here. There’s other speed signed on, and I don’t think he’ll be able to shake loose early. Add in that he’s no standout on speed figures, and I think he’s an underlay at or near the morning line price.

R6

Accelerating
Kay Cup
Valtellina

#5 ACCELERATING (5-1): Ships back to New York after two clunkers at Oaklawn Park. That’s a quirky surface some horses just don’t care for, though, and her two starts here last summer were exceptional. Add in the two-back bullet work for trainer Steve Asmussen (an angle I always like), and I think there’s value here in the Bouwerie; #7 KAY CUP (9/5): Was excellent off the bench last time out, when she won by more than four lengths downstate. A similar type of effort would make her a major player, but she loses Lasix and runs up against a good group for the level. At her likely price, I’ll take a mild stand against her; #6 VALTELLINA (9/2): Has won two in a row and was a first-out winner at this route a season ago. The lack of Lasix on the jump up in class is a concern, but there’s also a chance her improved efforts are a result of her figuring things out with experience and maturity.

R7

Shadow Dragon (MTO)
Hush of a Storm
Born Dancer

#9 HUSH OF A STORM (2-1): Has made some noise against open stakes competition, most notably finishing third in the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Classic two back. His return to New York was disappointing, but there seems to be a lot of early speed in the Kingston, and the return of Flavien Prat (who won on him twice a year ago) is a big plus; #10 BORN DANCER (8-1): Gets a rider switch to Joel Rosario second off the bench after finishing third in his return downstate. He’ll need to run without Lasix, which is a question mark, but he’s got some versatility to his running style and could provide some value at or near the morning line price; #3 BETTRLUCKYTHANGOOD (6-1): Hasn’t run since November, but has been working consistently and is another that should benefit from the likely race shape. He’s another that figures to benefit from a fast pace, and he’s a contender if he’s ready to run.

R8

Sterling Silver
P Mutter Pickle
Bernietakescharge

#8 STERLING SILVER (1-1): Figures to be the shortest-priced favorite of the day in the Critical Eye, and for good reason. She was a close-up second in the Grade 2 Ruffian against a much better group, and anything close to her effort in last year’s Johnstone Mile against a similar group would make her very, very tough to beat; #4 P MUTTER PICKLE (6-1): Tries two turns for the first time, but she’s a daughter of Vino Rosso, a very strong stamina influence. Her tactical speed should give her an ideal stalking trip, and it helps that she’s run well without Lasix in the past; #9 BERNIETAKESCHARGE (8-1): Likely needs the lead to fire her best shot, so the far outside post isn’t ideal. However, her two and three-back wins were sharp, and she may have simply hated the mud last time out in the Biogio’s Rose.

R9

Awesome Czech
Brocknardini
Spinning Colors

#5 AWESOME CZECH (4-1): Came flying late in her 2025 debut, when she was beaten just a neck in her first start since December. She went 2-for-2 over this turf course a year ago, including a stakes win, and a logical step forward would give her a big shot in the Mount Vernon; #9 BROCKNARDINI (5-1): Has flashed plenty of talent at times in the past, but she’s also had her share of issues. She hasn’t run since October, but her resume includes a stakes win against open company, and she figures to benefit from there being plenty of early speed in this field; #2 SPINNING COLORS (8-1): Comes back into the New York-bred ranks after several starts against open company, and she’s the one I most prefer of the likely pace-setters. She boasts two wins in three local starts, and unlike some of the other speed horses in here, she can put forth a strong effort while sitting just off the pace.

R10

Coach Case
Sir Lawrence
Sir Oscar

#4 COACH CASE (5/2): Closed well to finish second in his debut back in April despite the early pace being on the slower side. Some may have been disappointed with the effort as the even-money favorite, but he showed some maturity and should improve with experience and a few speed horses drawn to his inside; #11 SIR LAWRENCE (6-1): Draws a tough post in his unveiling for Chad Brown, but he’s bred to be a very good turf horse. He’s by Oscar Performance and out of the mare J’ray, who herself won multiple graded stakes races on the lawn, so he’s got every right to be a good one; #1 SIR OSCAR (9/2): Has been gelded since a fourth-place finish at Tampa in April and goes against New York-breds for the first time. Given his experience and the ultimate equipment change, he’s got a right to move forward, and he did come home fairly quickly behind a next-out winner last time out.