Ken Warkentin Selections for Friday, August 2, & Saturday, August 3, 2024
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Race 1
10-Money Mattters – This mare took a mark of 1:53.2 @ The Big M this season, romped in her most recent start here & rates strong contender status despite post ten
3-Archibald – Just one for 21 this season, but has been much better in his last two & just missed with a game speed try from post nine
4-Manuka – Maintaining good form @ Tioga Downs recently, ships in fresh off a narrow loss after a big late move & draws well for veteran Bob Krivelin
Race 2
3-Margareta Hanover – The Maharajah sister to Jiggy Jog S romped in her debut, then bumped into a revved up 1:54.1 Torrisi over an off track & continues to progress for Team Melander
4-Baffle – Googoo Gaagaa filly from the family of three $700k winners has marched through her baby races with confidence & expecting a positive opener
1-Global Heritage – International Moni sister to Raised By Lindy, 1:51.1 ($796,746), tripped out to win her latest baby race & can ride the rail to victory
Race 3
2-Pink Chou Chou – Chapter Seven sister to the well-decorated Manchego has been eager to please every time she’s faced the gate for Team Takter & draws better off a NYSS score
3-Delaney Hanover – Muscle Hill sister to Darlene Hanover, 1:51.4 ($591,250) debuts for Team Wallin after winning her lone baby race with a nice late surge
1-View From Above – Walner second dam the great Moni Maker went evenly in both her baby race & NJSS debut, but lands the rail & has license to step up for Team Svanstedt
Race 4
7-Bryant Bros S – Son of Hall of Famer Varenne has done well chasing the top guns in his last two stakes, draws a challenging post, yet might hold a slight edge over these
3-Greenspan – Greenshoe gelding with some credentials, freshened by Jim Campbell, trotted a strong comeback in PASS, draws inside & gets Dexter Dunn
4-Thinker Monkey – Brother to Gimpanzee was a pretty good third to Private Access in a Zweig consolation two starts back & that kind of effort makes him a strong consideration
Race 5
4-Love This Bar –Beaten favorite shook loose to show his best late to be a willing runner up to Fashion Cantab & draws better to stalk the speed & possibly turn the tables
2-Fashion Cantab – Fresh off a new mark of 1:55 with a perfect drive from post ten by Anthony Verruso, moves inside & stands out on a three-race heater
5-Hobbs – Fresh face with some class revitalized in his last three elsewhere, makes his second start since the transition to Team Stratton & arrives in a mid-pack stalking spot
Race 6
5-Reckless Abandon – Cattlewash first foal from a sister to Rocklamation has crushed them in her last two for Brett Pelling & has the look of a champion
2-TH Summer Lovin – First crop of world champion Cattlewash has improved steadily at long odds, while left in the wake of Reckless Abandon, moves inside for another gallant try
1-Bequeath – Lazarus N fourth foal from a sister to 1:47.4 millionaire Artspeak romped over Reckless Abandon in round one, beaten favorite missed last week & must rebound
Race 7
4-Civilian Drone – $110,000 Chapter Seven colt has done some serious damage in three NYSS events & draws inside to stretch it out on The Big M mile for Team Takter
3-Potobarosso AS NL – Bar Hopping colt has been solid every time, knocking on the door in his first two betting starts & draws inside again for Team Orange Crush off a sharp :26.4 kicker
9-Gap Kronos S – Excellent debut late charge of :27 to grab the deuce while pace compromised behind a dominant Jeffery J, moves outside, but looms large for Team Svanstedt
Race 8
5-Captain Optimistic – Captaintreacherous colt from a strong family stormed home in an eye-catching :25.4 to remain undefeated for Team Takter, who have a potential star
6-Papis Pistol – First crop of Papi Rob Hanover rallied to win his debut here in :26.4, second again last out with road trouble in PASS & looks like a serious colt
4-Snack Attack – Stay Hungry colt, dam a sister to millionaire Village Jiffy, made some nice moves in baby races, beaten favorite off a sharp second in The Stallion Series
Race 9
4-Bouquet – Walner filly with two solid starts under her, back half in :56.3, last quarter in :27.3 on July 19 & draws well again for Team Wallin
5-Jersey Slide – Muscle Hill sister to a pair of $800k winners Next Level Stuff & Take All Comers, all three of her lines are excellent & she has stalk n pop potential
8-Xalapa – Off two solid baby races she finished a credible third in her debut, moves outside, but there’s lots of room for improvement for Team Wallin
Race 10
3-Manolete – This Cattlewash colt continues to trend skyward, gunned down Tom Horn with a relentless :26.4 & draws better off that sparkling new mark
4-Power Code – Came right back with a :26.4 power surge off a jogola with a :25.4 & this Cattlewash colt gets another inside draw to go four-for-four
5-Tom Horn – Runner up in all three legs, just missed in his last two, his latest a gutsy speed try from post nine & could on the verge for Team Burke
Race 11
3-Simply Perfect – Captaintreacherous filly from a strong family broke through as the heavy favorite in The Stallion Series @ Pocono & draws inside here to deliver more
2-Fansville – Huntsville filly delivered the chalk when she brushed n crushed her debut @ Tioga Downs, draws inside here & has to be a serious consideration
1-Rodeo Drive Deo – Captaintreacherous filly, whose dam is a sister a couple of millionaires, all the way in a well-controlled debut @ The Meadows for Team Burke & lands the rail here
Race 12
4-Smoken Bob – Almost went all the way in his debut, then bumped into Captain Optimistic in his last two, benefits from that experience & can now assert himself
6-Nickelback – Always B Miki gelding, fourth foal, first was Nighthawk, 1:48.4 ($530,277), just missed to a big favorite in his debut @ Harrah’s Philadelphia & retains Tetrick
2-Cookie Air – Bettor’s Delight colt, dam is a sister to near triple millionaire Tattoo Artist, bounced back with a much better effort in his latest Big M qualifier for Team Takter
Race 13
3-T Dog – Beaten favorite has been knocking on the door in his last three, shook loose out of a shuffled with a sharp :26.3 & poised for an overdue score
1-Latest Era – Snapped his 2024 losing skid with a sudden blowout two starts back @ Harrah’s Philadelphia, arrives fresh off a solid second & lands in an ideal spot here
4-Big Bad Bill – Bill had too far to come after slow start from post, tripped out to a 10-1 upset before that & draw much better in a wide-open field
Race 14
2-Camera Man – Son of world champion Six Pack was a very good third in his debut, then paid the price for a slow start & now draws better for Team Svanstedt in a wide-open consolation
5-Mr Walner Fashion – Fashion Farms homebred from world champion Coolor Schooner used twice & faded as the beaten favorite, yet just missed in his debut with a more patient trip
3-Flightline – Walner brother to Blond Bombshell ($308,161) set some reasonable fractions & faded to fifth, rallied stoutly to hit the board from post nine before that, so that might revert back to that strategy for Team Orange Crush
Saturday, August 3 Selections
Race 1
7-Emoji Hanover – PASS winner @ Pocono before she took a month off recently, finished with a flurry from a tough spot in her Oaks elimination & this might be more to her liking
1-Sambuca Hanover – Hit another gear when she flashed sudden speed & finished second in the Tompkins-Geers & lands the rail to employ a similar strategy
6-Upallnight Hanover – PASS winner this season rallied to a new mark of 1:53.1 in the Tompkins-Geers from the same post & retains Dexter Dunn
Race 2
3-Legendary Hanover – The Legend is back fresh off his track & stakes record 1:46.3 in the Pace, has all the tools to dominate this division & impossible to go against today
2-Mirage Hanover – The Mirage was the real deal in an easy 1:49 tune up last week, owns a vicious late kick, obviously has another gear & draws well in an opportunist roll
1-Captain’s Quarters – North America Cup runner up had no chance from post nine in the Pace, regrouped with a nice Mohawk qualifier & plays stalker from the rail
Race 3
2-Caballero – Was trending towards the Hambo before a slow start from post nine & break in his elimination, now he moves inside & has big time license to rebound
6-French Kronos – Been pretty consistent this season for Team Melander, solid runner up to Secret Agent Man in the Tompkins-Geers & has the speed to take charge
7-Supernova Hanover – Tripped out to win a PASS division in a career best 1:53, then failed to get involved in his 1:50.3 Hambo elim, tricky post, but softer spot
Race 4
5-Cool Ma Belle – Walner filly came to life with a hard-charging third in the Tompkins-Geers, then was pace & trip compromised in her Oaks elimination & trending right in a wide-open field
4-Sister Mary Maude – Crazy Wow filly has been a star in NYSS at multiple tracks, goes for three in a row & draws well after equaling her mark @ Monticello for Team Burke
6-Cheval Rapide – Was too far back chasing Elista Hanover in the Tompkins-Geers, has been pretty consistent in stakes company & lands in a softer spot for Team Takter
Race 5
2-Caviart Belle – Superb season so far for the Fan Hanover runner up, won her last two stakes here with authority, took a mark of 1:48 from post eight in the Silverman & draws post two again for team Takter
6-Canigetalouploup – Runner up to her stablemate My Girl EJ in a track record @ The Meadows last week, sizzled to hit the board in the Silverman & rates highly for Team Burke
5-Stonecoldtreachery – Just missed first time Lasix, then was a close runner up Caviart Belle with broken equipment & this is a lightly-raced filly on the rise
Race 6
5-Tactical Dynasty – Followed up a narrow loss to Don’t Ask For More with a dominant first win as the heavy favorite & continues to ramp it up for Team Burke in a very competitive final
4-Go Boom – Muscle Hill colt has done very little wrong so far, fresh off a perfect trip romp from post nine & moves inside to continue a positive trend for Team Melander
3-Don’t Ask For More – Walner colt stole one all the way when favored in his debut, then just missed to longshot Onajetplane, draws inside again & switches to Tetrick
Race 7
2-Oakwood Ardan IR – Has piled up eight wins in ten starts @ The Big M this season, freshened up & draws well to set up one of his patented late surges
3-Big Skewy N – Loved this guy as my top pick in the Beckwith @ Plainridge & romped to a new mark of 1:49.1, draws inside here, gets The Money Man & looms large
4-Act Fast – Rallied to upset a Graduate division in a sizzling 1:47.3, stormed to hit the board in that final & returns to The Big M with an inside draw for Team Burke
Race 8
2-Abuckabett Hanover – Has been the sport’s raging Free For Aller with back-to-back majors in the Brower & Haughton in 1:47.3, then 1:47.4 & has a chance to stalk them from an inside post
6-It’s My Show – 4YO has been sharp since his narrow loss in the Graduate, tried to rally from an impossible spot in the Haughton & remains on his toes for Team Toscano
8-Allywag Hanover – Won a division last year in a career best 1:47.2, slammed with post eight here, but has plenty of zip to blast off & he’s still fresh on the comeback trail
Race 9
6-Lexus Kody – Has been on a long form spree in the Open @ Hoosier Park, took a mark of 1:50 here this season & returns to The Big M to assert himself for Team Burke
7-Pretender – Classy son of Muscle Hill chased two for his revved up stablemates last week, draws a challenging post, but makes his third start off the bench for Team Takter
5-Asteroid – Strong runner up in the Cutler to kick off his season on Lasix, then romped to a new mark of 1:51.4, but faltered in the Crawford & needs to rebound after missing a month
Race 10
3-Special Way – Classy millionaire was nosed out by Winner’s Bet in the Graduate Final, used hard & impeded in the Hambletonian Maturity & draws better to rebound
1-M-M’s Dream – Dominated this in a career best 1:50 last year, no worse than second in eight starts this season & lands the rail fresh off a decisive score in the Miss Versatility Series
4-Pioneer AS – KY bred by Devious Man went on a nice roll in the Open class @ Oak Grove, hails from a high percentage barn, draws better & gets The Hot Toddy
Race 11
3-Jiggy Jog S – The current queen of her division has picked up where she left off in her Dan Patch Award winning season, trouncing them in the Cutler & Six Pack, missed all of July, but still looks formidable with another inside draw
6-Southwind Tyrion – Last Fall’s FanDuel champion took three starts to regain winning form with a rousing 1:49.2 upset in the Crawford Farms for Team Svanstedt & may try to take these all the way despite missing a month
8-Winner’s Bet – His first two starts this season were track records, Graduate champion bounced back with a well-controlled romp last week, switches to Andrew Mcarthy & has to be feared despite post eight in a great field
Race 12
1-Karl – The last 2YO male Dan Patch Award winner to come back and win the Hambo was Pinkman in 2015. Nancy Takter looks to duplicate what her father Jimmy did and go back-to-back, along with the sire Tactical Landing from his first two crops. Hall of Famer Yannick Gingras looks to break through after finishing second three times. Karl bounced back with a new mark 1:50.3 and we haven’t seen the best from this versatile champion.
4-T C I – This O’Brien Award winner who set an earnings record as a freshman has come back in major league form this season for Ron Burke, whose tinkering led to a new lifetime mark of 1:50.4. While Burke looks for that elusive first Hambo, so does fellow Hall of Famer Dave Miller, who has a pair of thirds to his credit. Today, T C I faces the marquee match up we’ve all been waiting for, and if Karl somehow gets softened up, his relentless rally could pay off.
8-Sig Sauer – This son of Muscle Hill scrambled the Hambo picture somewhat with his 68-1 upset in the Dancer, and took a sparkling new mark of 1:50 in the process. He finished a solid third to Karl from post eight, and it was only his third start of the season, so he certainly has license to step up further for Andrew McCarthy and Noel Daley, who have both been to the mountaintop. Keep in mind favorites have only won twice in the last ten Hambos.
Race 13
5-Torrisi –Walner second foal from world champion Barn Girl just missed to R Charm as the heavy favorite, owns a big late kick, stalks from mid-pack & Team Takter are loaded in this final with a fearsome foursome
1-Spicy Nice – This Tactical Landing third foal from world champion Maven & sister to Pretender, 1:51.2 ($815,290) tripped out to win her second career start for Team Takter & continues to build momentum from the rail
2-Conversano Muscle Hill sister to Celebrity Bambino, 1:50.4 ($866,665) notched her first win, beating Torrisi after a narrow loss on the engine & draws inside again
Race 14
1-Elista Hanover – Dave Miller has one Oaks win to his credit – Personal Style in 2012 at 57-1, and now The Buckeye steers the well-deserving favorite. Elista has methodically reeled off ten in a row, her last three at The Big M were power-house performances, and she comes off a gutsy career best of 1:51.3, final quarter in :26.3. It would be a redemption of sorts for her sire International Moni, who got wiped out in the 2017 Hambo. And from the lady who brought you NYSS champion Instagram Model, Annie Stoebe is back for some unfinished business.
7-French Champagne – Her sire Muscle Hill won this five straight years, this NJSS champion took a mark of 1:51.4 in the Del Miller, and finished a solid second last week. Dexter Dunn won the 2021 edition with Bella Bellini, and Ake Svanstedt looks for his first win in the Oaks following a second last year with Bond.
3-R Melina – The daughter of Chapter Seven notched her 12th win in 20 career starts with a post eight wire-to-wire in 1:51.4 last week after she rallied to upset a Del Miller division in personal best of 1:51.1. She’s a testament to superb training by John Butenschoen, and Todd McCarthy looks to add the Oaks next to his 2022 Hambo trophy.
Race 15
3-Sylvia Hanover – Canada’s defending HOY has been her usual steady self this season & draws inside fresh off dominant score in the Clara Barton with more in the tank
7-Twin B Joe Fresh – Queen of the division has been stellar this season, five-race winning streak, fresh off a new mark of 1:47.3 in the Dorothy Haughton, standout Big M qualifier, all systems go
1-Silver Label – Equaled the stakes record of 1:47.3 last year, just missed in the Dorothy Haughton, sharpened with a gutsy win @ Mohawk & lands the rail to stalk the speed
Race 16
6-Primary Colors – Pulled off the class drop n pop with a take-no-prisoners career best 1:48 last week, faces a more challenging scenario here, but brimming with confidence
8-Nicholas Beach – Capitalized on some class relief & rocketed down the road from post nine in a sizzling 1:48.4, so we’ll look for a similar air out mission
3-Brue Hanover – Wire-to-wire in most recent @ Pocono, draws better for his return here & could work an ideal stalking trip off the expected speed
Track Conditions
Updated
11/16/2024
Fast
Variant:
43°F