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Courtesy of Mike Dempsey

Here is today's opening race from Aqueduct to get our day off to a good start:

AQU Race 1 Clm $16,000N2L (1:00 ET)

#4 Siren's Call 12/1
#6 Beautiful Pear 2/1
#8 Centrina 7/2
#7 Flaming Punch 5/2


Analysis: #4 Siren's Call gets the nod here in a wide open turf race in which none of these except for the ML fav and recent maiden winner appear to want to run on turf. Our top pick stumbled coming out of the gate last out and raced evenly in a fifth place finish against $7.5K non winners of two. She stretches out to a mile while trying turf for the first time. Her turf pedigree is decent, by Newfoundland out of a FuPeg mare. She is in light with the bug and her 12/1 ML looks fair enough.

#6 Beautiful Pear went gate to wire to break her maiden on the grass last out for a $16K tag. She may not have things as easy up front here and her price will be on the light side. She is a half to dirt stakes winner What a Pear ($162K). Does she bounce here off her career top? A tough call.

Wagering

WIN: #4 to win at 6/1 or better.
EX: 4,6 / 4,6,7,8
TRI: 4,6 / 4,6,7,8 / 1,4,6,7,8

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:

AQU Race 7 Clm $20,000 (3:55 ET)

#2 Kid Tornado 5/1
#3 Dorian Will 3/1
#4 Macho Prado 4/1
#6 Smart Enuf 5/2


Analysis: #2 Kid Tornado stretches out to a mile off a good runner up finish last out on the inner. The winner of the race was Saints Alive, who came back to beat Alw-1 company in his next start on April 7. His last turf try came last November, a fourth place finish against $25K non winners of two and he was only beaten a length for the top spot. He has one of the more appealing pedigrees in this field, by Lemon Drop Kid out of the stakes winner Silver Tornado ($133K), who won once on turf.

#3 Dorian Will has done some of his best running on the turf, landing in the exacta in 4 of his 6 trips on the weeds. The gelding caught a muddy surface last out, a third place finish at this level as the beaten fav. He makes his second start since landing with McLaughlin and the switch back to the turf should suit this guy.

Wagering

WIN: #2 to win at 7/2 or better.
EX: 2,3 / 2,3,4,6
TRI: 2,3 / 2,3,4,6 / 1,2,3,4,6

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Keeneland:


KEE Race 9 Elkhorn G2 (5:05 ET)

#3 Sudden War 6/1
#6 Musketier 5/1
#2 Timeless Fashion 6/1
#5 Expansion 4/1


Analysis: #3 Sudden War is coming off a pair of third place finishes in Grade 2 company at Santa Anita, running into a toughie in Bourbon Bay, who came back to win another Grade 2 on April 18. The gelding makes his third start of his current form cycle and he has shown he can handle the distance. Looking for McPeek, who led the trainers’ standings last fall, to have a good closing day here today.

#6 Musketier is making his first start since last October for the Attfield barn that is 24% winners (with a +ROI) with horses coming back off a +180 day layoff. This guy tailed off in his last two starts last year after winning the Singspiel (G3) and running a good second to Gio Ponti in the Man 'O War (G1). He races a bit easier today and could come back running at a decent price.

Wagering

WIN: #3 to win at 7/2 or better.
EX: 3,6 / 2,3,5,6
TRI: 3,6 / 2,3,5,6 / 1,2,3,5,6

Live Longshots:

These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Aqueduct

R1: #4 Siren’s Call 12/1
R2: #2 Dreamed Day 8/1
R3: #3 Aquit 12/1
R4: #7 High Prize 8/1
R4: #6 Omega Cipher 10/1
R5: #1 Crepe Au Sucre / #1a Upper Afleet 12/1
R9: #8 No Imagination 10/1



Keeneland

R1: #4 Over Served 8/1
R1: #1 A Smile and a Song 8/1
R5: #2 South Beach Luv 15/1
R7: #12 More Than Willing 10/1
R7: #3 Cosmic King 12/1
R10: #4 Oree 8/1
R10: #8 Streak of Thunder 10/1


Good luck today!

AQU 8th (4:25)

7 Furlongs | Open | 4 Year Olds And Up Allowance Optional Claiming ($75,000) | Purse: $46,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 3 Tizway Maragh R Bond Harold James 118 L 5-2
1A 7 Pewter Chavez J F Bond Harold James 118 L 5-2
2 8 Roaring Lion Cohen D Levine Bruce N 118 $75,000 L 3-1
2B 10 The Roundhouse Jara F Pletcher Todd A 118 L 3-1
3 1 Smiley Pete Rose J Dutrow Anthony W 118 $75,000 L 5-1
4 2 Shoptate Musarro J Jerkens Steven T 113 5 $75,000 L 15-1
5 4 Brady Baby Coa E M Brown Chad C 118 L 10-1
6 5 Break Water Edison Luzzi M J Dutrow, Jr. R E 123 L 4-1
7 6 Be Bullish Prado E S Schwartz Scott M 118 L 15-1
8 9 Half Metal Jacket Velasquez C Dutrow Sydney 118 $75,000 L 6-1

A-Coupled: Tizway and Pewter

B-Coupled: Roaring Lion and The Roundhouse

Exacta, Trifecta, Daily Double Wagers

Brian Blessing's Pick's 1-2-6

Tizway has faced much tougher competition in his career and has a big shot to score coming off a sub par effort in Japan.

KEE 10th (5:35)

1 1/16 Miles (All Weather Track) | Open | 3 Year Olds And Up Claiming ($30,000) | Purse: $22,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Cullinan Leparoux J R Maker Michael J 122 $30,000 LA 4-1
2 2 Kusch Torres F C White Brian 119 $30,000 LA 12-1
3 3 I Come From Behind Desormeaux K J Desormeaux J Keith 122 $30,000 LA 5-2
4 4 Oree Alvarado J Reed Eric R 122 $30,000 Blk-On LA 8-1
5 5 Justy Solis A Ward Wesley A 119 $30,000 L 7-2
6 6 Royale Graham J McKeever Andrew 122 $30,000 Blk-Off L 12-1
7 7 Dabossman Lenclud F Lauer Michael E 110 5 $30,000 LA 15-1
8 8 Streak of Thunder Sterling L J Jr Hartlage Gary G 115 $30,000 L 10-1
9 9 Afleet Magic Gomez G K Hess R B Jr 122 $30,000 L 5-1

Exacta-Trifecta ($.50 min)-Superfecta ($.10 min)-Super High Five ($1 min)

Battagliaspicks 3-9-1

#3 I Come From Behind- The finally holds our best bet. This one finished good against wide open 40k routers here on opening week. Kent rides for his brother Keith, they drop this one in for non winners of two, despite his name this one will be in front and should romp.

HOLLY 6th (9:25)

6 Furlongs (All Weather Track) | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Claiming ($16,000 - $14,000) | Purse: $24,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 The Women's Diva Quinonez A Dominguez Caesar F 118 $16,000 L 6-1
2 2 Pretty Kinzie Rosario J Eurton Peter 118 $16,000 L 7-2
3 3 This Time Baby Flores D R Solis Walther 118 $16,000 L 8-1
4 4 Lana's Lovely Bisono A La Croix David 118 $16,000 L 15-1
5 5 Ann's Seven Espinoza V Moger Ed Jr 118 $16,000 L 15-1
6 6 Krakow Queen Baze T C Yakteen Tim 118 $16,000 L 3-1
7 7 Shine'n Time Garcia J A Kruljac J Eric 116 $14,000 L 15-1
8 8 Frequent Fame Garcia M Polanco Marcelo 116 $14,000 L 10-1
9 9 Such Fortune Santiago Reyes C Kitchingman Adam 111 5 $14,000 L 15-1
10 10 Right to Work Bejarano R O'Neill Doug 118 $16,000 L 4-1

$1 Exacta / $2 Quinella / $1 Trifecta $1 Superfecta (10-cent min.) / $2 Double / $1 Pick 3

Battagliaspicks 2-6-9

#2 Pretty Kinzie- One of our best bets has two wins to all the others one and moves back to the main track on the drop He will prove too good for these.

GPX price play courtesy of Warren Eves

8th Gulfstream Park #12 Trippi’s Sailor is the play at 8-1 stretching out at a mile with bug rider Luis Saez. Last time out he got away well from a similar outside post(10) to be near the early lead. Trippi’s Sailor was fourth and wide entering the turn. He loomed up to the top after a sizzling 21.18 fraction. Once in the lead I liked his trying and reaching style. Trippi’s Sailor should be on or near the lead early. I like his chances to get it done at a price.