Yesterday was a tough day for me. I really got stuck on Charge Now in the Curlin and swung for the fences. Unfortunately, VE Day made a leaping catch at the wall and robbed me of a major score. But today is another day and there is still plenty of money to be made.

RACE 8

The 8th is my sentimental favorite race of the meet, the Amsterdam. It is named for the town I grew up in, originally home to the famous Sanford Farm and where the fabulous Nick Kling is the king of the OTB. It is one of the major prep races for the King’s Bishop at the end of the month.

• 2 Rock Fall was one of my early picks but was scratched.
• 4 Coup de Grace goes for top Kentucky trainer Larry Jones. It looks to me like the longer the distance, the less he likes it. He has an impressive off the pace win in the Oh Say at Delaware, and a solid work just five days ago. If he breaks cleanly he’ll have every chance to close by the front runners.
• With the two scratches 5 Tiznowforamerica makes it into the top three. I’m not sold on the horse, but someone has to complete the trifecta.
• 7 Noble Moon was another top selection that was scratched.
• 8 Captain Serious was just nipped in the Dwyer after slicing through statebreds in his first three races. He’s certainly fast enough to easily establish himself on the front and the Dwyer showed major talent.

RACE 9

• 2 Palace Dreams has been off since November and while she usually shows a lot of competitiveness, I had hesitations because she’s steadily been moving down the class ladder. Not a shocker, but not my first choice.
• 3 Miz Owell has a nice third on the SAR lawn and her last race on a yielding Belmont turf should have given her plenty of condition. Top pick.
• 6 Lady’s Lunar Luck is one of those horses that bounces up to restricted stakes and allowances and then rebounds to the optional claiming ranks. She fits here and really takes to the SAR turf.

RACE 10

• 3 Ulanbator. For all you geography buffs, Ulanbator is the capital of Mongolia. I think he is a bit of a guru longshot, but he’ll be 20-1 while the horse that beat him will be more in the 5-1 range. I think he is improving and might hit the board here.
• 4 Tonalist. This begins his drive for 3 YO of the year. I think if he wins out, he gets the nod over Chrome. This isn’t sentimentality. It is dispassionate analysis. He’s the best horse in the race, he has a good style, he wins on any kind of track, and he is the quintessential improving 3 YO. He’s not unbeatable, but he is strong.
• 5 Kid Cruz has done little wrong this spring and early summer. Other than a clunker in the Preakness, he’s shown ability in three restricted stakes and and the Graded Dwyer. I just don’t think you can label him as outless in this group.
• 7 Wicked Strong. 2-1 on the ML seems pretty ambitious for this horse. He has a closing style that may not be useful given the pace scenario and he seems to be moody about throwing his best into a race.

RACE 11

• 2 Ballybrit. Gary Contessa has been trying to figure out how to get this horse to the winner’s circle since he claimed him. The fact that he is keeping him at the ALW1X level is enough for me to give him one more chance.
• 6 Elroi has some decent figures and seems to run about the same each time. I never favor a horse with a plodding style. He is 0 for 2 at SAR. He looks like a contender but he’s hard to fall in love with.
• 10 Poliziotto would be a perfect choice if his last race was July 2014 instead of 2013. His pace figures put this field away. This will be his 6th race since 2011 which screams physical issues. However, Chad Brown trains and that means he’s in the mix. Of course I wouldn’t be surprised if he wins or is vanned off.
• 11 Tapitation gets the top nod. Not because he looks so much better than anyone else, but because he isn’t one of those professional NW1X horses yet and his one turf race gives me some confidence. The comment in that race was “rank on bit, climbing.” That tells me that Lezcano was trying to get the horse to relax and the horse wanted to run. I realize jockeys have to follow instructions, but I think pulling a horse like that rarely works out. Ortiz seemed to match better with the horse in an off the turf race last out and he stays with him.