Looking for some professional insight? Here are the Suffolk Downs handicapper's thoughts on the races as found in the official track program.
Race Date:
Wednesday, August 20
Handicapper:
Jessica Paquette
Race # 1
1. THE CITY 2. DYNAPRO 3. RECOMMEND THIS
THE CITY showed good speed dropping down at this level and was unable to carry it over a muddy track. The winner that day ran a monster race and this speedy son of City Zip should be able to have an easier time on the front end today. Jockey Cliff Dooley does a great job hustling horses out of the gate and his riding style suits this horse well. DYNAPRO has been on the board seven of his twenty seven starts and though it is never encouraging to see a six-year-old maiden with that many starts under his belt, he is hard to throw out of an exotic wager in his current form. Perhaps twenty eight is the magic number for this gelding. RECOMMEND THIS comes out of the same race as the top two and though he was no match for the winner, he held his own with the rest and is another with a good early turn of foot.
Race # 2
1. BILLY'S WEE 2. RED CHILLY KNEES 3. JOVIAL RIDE
BILLY'S WEE was a good third behind Sonic Take Off last out and that filly wheeled right back to win on Sunday. This mare comes out for connections that are always live and though she has yet to recapture her 2007 form, she seems to be improving with each start. RED CHILLY KNEES is one of two horses trained by Kevin Clark in this event and it is worth noting that his go-to rider has elected to remain aboard this one. She got a bit leg weary after showing good speed last out and should appreciate the cut back in distance today. JOVIAL RIDE appeared to bounce a bit last out after a big effort two back. This filly showed solid ability against tougher last year and can only improve off of her last effort.
Race # 3
1. GREYLOCK 2. SPEEDER 3. BUILDERS OPTION
GREYLOCK dug in and really showed his tenacity last out winning by a head over an almost identical field. This gelding is very capable on the local lawn and though the local turf can sometimes be difficult for the younger jockeys, Pena-Mora has really established himself as a grass rider to watch. The Ramos barn does well getting horses primed for back-to-back wins so expect another big effort from this gelding. SPEEDER is a horse for the course and needed the race last out. It was his first race back on his preferred course since April and should only improve off of that effort. He has a big late run and this seven time local winner seems to be rounding back into winning form. BUILDERS OPTION was a game second to Greylock last out and he was another that may have needed that race. He has never been worse than second from three local grass tries and will be trying to make amends for his narrow defeat last out.
Race # 4
1. CAROLE'S A CRUSHER 2. STRAIGHT LIGHTING 3. ANOTHA TOUGHCOOKIE
CAROLE'S A CRUSHER was compromised by a rough start last out and she ran well enough to beat half the field. She should improve off of that effort and it is encouraging that David Amiss retains the mount in this wide open event. STRAIGHT LIGHTING has showed speed at generous odds in her last two. She may have an uncontested lead today and the addition of Lasix last out did seem to make a difference. ANOTHA TOUGHCOOKIE has big shoes to fill being a half sister to the wonderful Tough Cookie Baby. She has yet to show the talent her sister had but stretches out today and should continue to progress as she gets more experienced.
Race # 5
1. CHLOE OLIVIA 2. KENTUCKY RIVER 3. RAINBOW'S APPEAL
CHLOE OLIVIA makes her local debut with a sharp bullet workout since shipping in. The blinkers come off today on this daughter of Wheelaway in what seems to be an attempt to get her to relax after she showed speed and packed it in in her last start at Finger Lakes. She broke her maiden against tougher in March and may get a class break today. KENTUCKY RIVER gets a plus for consistency. This filly has been racing at this level since coming to Suffolk and has a handful of even efforts. Amiss has ridden her in most of those starts and this filly could be sitting on a breakthrough effort. RAINBOW'S APPEAL drops down after a good front-running maiden score against MSW company. This filly has shown plenty of ability and the Panell/Rigattieri combo is always tough, especially making such a substantial class drop.
Race # 6
1. HARVICK 2. AWESOME ALLEN 3. DINNER BACKSTAGE
HARVICK ran a big race last out and should have plenty to shoot at today. This game old gelding is always a factor at this level and Rosario suits him well. He does tend to get slightly overlooked at the windows despite an impressive ten local victories and may offer value here. AWESOME ALLEN faced a similar field last out and was beaten only 2 1/2 lengths despite an eventful trip. His only local win came via DQ back in May but he has been right in the mix in most of his starts since then. Hard to throw out and a horse that shows up almost every time. DINNER BACKSTAGE was a good third against similar last out. He has shown steady improvement since returning off a layoff and looks to be a big pace factor.
Race # 7
1. NOW BATTING 2. I'M A DILEMMA 3. BABALO
NOW BATTING ran a big race in his first start off a bit of a layoff. This gelding has been on the board in six of his eight local starts and should improve off of that encouraging effort. He has shown the ability to sit just off of what could be a quick pace and is looking to recapture his excellent 07 form. I'M A DILEMMA is very quick and also very game and comes into this race off a pair of solid efforts. He fits very well at this level and will be heard from early. He may have company on the front end from Diamond Hard Cut but he has proven in the past he is able to duel throw some testing fractions and stick around at the end. BABALO really seemed to need the race last out. It was his first start since March and this gelding has shown flashes of brilliance as a two- and three-year old at Suffolk. He should come in much sharper today and could offer value.
Race # 8
1. INVITE DISCO CINDO 2. O'MALLEY 3. JUDGE KELLY
INVITE DISCO CINDO has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with whether this race stays on the grass or not. He got loose on the lead last out and they were not able to catch him and he almost pulled off the same feat on the lawn two back. Dooley seems to suit this gelding well and they figure to be gunning it early. O'MALLEY ran a commendable race against a high quality stakes field last out and this wonderful gelding, making start 105, is a complete iron horse. He is very game and in form and is another that will be a factor on either the grass or main track. JUDGE KELLY rebounded nicely last out and defeated a very solid field on the lawn. Winston Thompson is one of the best turf riders on the grounds and this three-year-old gelding has shown an affinity for the local grass. He seems to be progressing with each start and is establishing himself as a major factor on the turf.
Race # 9
1. ON THE PHONE 2. BUDDHA'S SONG 3. PONCHE'S SOLO
ON THE PHONE gave a commanding performance over the venerable U U Star who came back to win on Sunday. This striking son of Phone Trick hasn't been off the board in all five local starts and with a repeat of that last effort looks to make it two in a row. BUDDHA'S SONG has yet to hit the board at Suffolk but his last effort was a step forward- he was only beaten four lengths and it was against a tougher field than what he is up against today. Bocachica has teamed up with Mike McKenzie once before and that resulted in a $5.60 winner. PONCHE'S SOLO was compromised as the favorite last out with a rough start. This gelding is a solid competitor at this level and with a clean start should be able to be more involved early.
Program Comments
Looking for some professional insight? Here are the Suffolk Downs handicapper's thoughts on the races as found in the official track program.
THE CITY showed good speed dropping down at this level and was unable to carry it over a muddy track. The winner that day ran a monster race and this speedy son of City Zip should be able to have an easier time on the front end today. Jockey Cliff Dooley does a great job hustling horses out of the gate and his riding style suits this horse well. DYNAPRO has been on the board seven of his twenty seven starts and though it is never encouraging to see a six-year-old maiden with that many starts under his belt, he is hard to throw out of an exotic wager in his current form. Perhaps twenty eight is the magic number for this gelding. RECOMMEND THIS comes out of the same race as the top two and though he was no match for the winner, he held his own with the rest and is another with a good early turn of foot.
BILLY'S WEE was a good third behind Sonic Take Off last out and that filly wheeled right back to win on Sunday. This mare comes out for connections that are always live and though she has yet to recapture her 2007 form, she seems to be improving with each start. RED CHILLY KNEES is one of two horses trained by Kevin Clark in this event and it is worth noting that his go-to rider has elected to remain aboard this one. She got a bit leg weary after showing good speed last out and should appreciate the cut back in distance today. JOVIAL RIDE appeared to bounce a bit last out after a big effort two back. This filly showed solid ability against tougher last year and can only improve off of her last effort.
GREYLOCK dug in and really showed his tenacity last out winning by a head over an almost identical field. This gelding is very capable on the local lawn and though the local turf can sometimes be difficult for the younger jockeys, Pena-Mora has really established himself as a grass rider to watch. The Ramos barn does well getting horses primed for back-to-back wins so expect another big effort from this gelding. SPEEDER is a horse for the course and needed the race last out. It was his first race back on his preferred course since April and should only improve off of that effort. He has a big late run and this seven time local winner seems to be rounding back into winning form. BUILDERS OPTION was a game second to Greylock last out and he was another that may have needed that race. He has never been worse than second from three local grass tries and will be trying to make amends for his narrow defeat last out.
CAROLE'S A CRUSHER was compromised by a rough start last out and she ran well enough to beat half the field. She should improve off of that effort and it is encouraging that David Amiss retains the mount in this wide open event. STRAIGHT LIGHTING has showed speed at generous odds in her last two. She may have an uncontested lead today and the addition of Lasix last out did seem to make a difference. ANOTHA TOUGHCOOKIE has big shoes to fill being a half sister to the wonderful Tough Cookie Baby. She has yet to show the talent her sister had but stretches out today and should continue to progress as she gets more experienced.
CHLOE OLIVIA makes her local debut with a sharp bullet workout since shipping in. The blinkers come off today on this daughter of Wheelaway in what seems to be an attempt to get her to relax after she showed speed and packed it in in her last start at Finger Lakes. She broke her maiden against tougher in March and may get a class break today. KENTUCKY RIVER gets a plus for consistency. This filly has been racing at this level since coming to Suffolk and has a handful of even efforts. Amiss has ridden her in most of those starts and this filly could be sitting on a breakthrough effort. RAINBOW'S APPEAL drops down after a good front-running maiden score against MSW company. This filly has shown plenty of ability and the Panell/Rigattieri combo is always tough, especially making such a substantial class drop.
HARVICK ran a big race last out and should have plenty to shoot at today. This game old gelding is always a factor at this level and Rosario suits him well. He does tend to get slightly overlooked at the windows despite an impressive ten local victories and may offer value here. AWESOME ALLEN faced a similar field last out and was beaten only 2 1/2 lengths despite an eventful trip. His only local win came via DQ back in May but he has been right in the mix in most of his starts since then. Hard to throw out and a horse that shows up almost every time. DINNER BACKSTAGE was a good third against similar last out. He has shown steady improvement since returning off a layoff and looks to be a big pace factor.
NOW BATTING ran a big race in his first start off a bit of a layoff. This gelding has been on the board in six of his eight local starts and should improve off of that encouraging effort. He has shown the ability to sit just off of what could be a quick pace and is looking to recapture his excellent 07 form. I'M A DILEMMA is very quick and also very game and comes into this race off a pair of solid efforts. He fits very well at this level and will be heard from early. He may have company on the front end from Diamond Hard Cut but he has proven in the past he is able to duel throw some testing fractions and stick around at the end. BABALO really seemed to need the race last out. It was his first start since March and this gelding has shown flashes of brilliance as a two- and three-year old at Suffolk. He should come in much sharper today and could offer value.
INVITE DISCO CINDO has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with whether this race stays on the grass or not. He got loose on the lead last out and they were not able to catch him and he almost pulled off the same feat on the lawn two back. Dooley seems to suit this gelding well and they figure to be gunning it early. O'MALLEY ran a commendable race against a high quality stakes field last out and this wonderful gelding, making start 105, is a complete iron horse. He is very game and in form and is another that will be a factor on either the grass or main track. JUDGE KELLY rebounded nicely last out and defeated a very solid field on the lawn. Winston Thompson is one of the best turf riders on the grounds and this three-year-old gelding has shown an affinity for the local grass. He seems to be progressing with each start and is establishing himself as a major factor on the turf.
ON THE PHONE gave a commanding performance over the venerable U U Star who came back to win on Sunday. This striking son of Phone Trick hasn't been off the board in all five local starts and with a repeat of that last effort looks to make it two in a row. BUDDHA'S SONG has yet to hit the board at Suffolk but his last effort was a step forward- he was only beaten four lengths and it was against a tougher field than what he is up against today. Bocachica has teamed up with Mike McKenzie once before and that resulted in a $5.60 winner. PONCHE'S SOLO was compromised as the favorite last out with a rough start. This gelding is a solid competitor at this level and with a clean start should be able to be more involved early.