Every year I wait for this day at Turfway. Usually, I do pretty good, but last year I crashed & burned. I'm looking to redeem myself this year.
1st:
1) #9 Oraia (8/1)-This 1st time starter Sold for $500,000 and debuts for the high 1st time starter percentage Cowans barn.
2) #6 Listen and Learn (7/2)-finished a good 2nd over this track, getting the field's best #, and then got off to a bad start & ran poorly, another chance
#4 Romanaya (20/1)-Ran one of the field's worst figures in debut, but should show huge improvement with the switch to Tapeta.

2nd: Too many inexperienced fillies running a route for the 1st time, using 2,4,11 in multi race bets. Edit: I thought 2 was scratched, but she's in the race.

3rd:
1) #9 Race Craft (15/1) Last 2 races are bad but if he can run back to his #s from last fall, he'll be very tough to beat. He's 9/21 on synthetics.
2) #10 Gray's Fable (5/2) If neither of the above longshots fail to return to form, he's good enough, but his one available Tapeta number says he's better on turf and a bet against.
Edit: Original top selection #3 Bold Selection scratched

4th: I believe this is a 2-horse race where either one can win.
#2 McIlroy (5/1) stretches out for Brisset in his 2nd start, a solid % move for this trainer. His sprint # is the field's fastest.
#6 Academy (9/2) Won his 2nd start on turf but got DQ'd and has not raced since last September 7th. If he can repeat that try with expected improvement for 2 to 3, he'll be very tough to beat.
I'll complete the tri with the ML fav #3 Sound Cause (3/1)who has the fastest route #.

5th: Too tough to call, I'll be hitting the all button on my P5 & hope that I'm still alive & if I am, will be rooting for a bomb.

6th:
1) #9 Gloriannia (7/2) 9 YO mare needs to be ready off a 3 month layoff, but she's just better than anyone else. Easy call.
2) #11 Abitibi(20/1) At the price I'll be using her in exotics. She's a 4 time winner on synthetics, but the trainer is 0/9 and would need to break his maiden here.
Also in my exotics will be the 2 favorites #1 Right Now & #5 Krispy Rice, but I need the 11 to hit the board.

7th: Too tough, PASS

8th:
1) #1 End of Romance (4/1) A synthetic winner last October in Great Britain, he's been working over the Fair Hill synthetic track for his new trainer, Motion. This colt is a half brother to $26 million winner Romantic Warrior who has raced mostly on turf & ran a great 2nd in the Saudi Cup to Forever Young. The 7f 2 YO synth # projects to a higher # as a 3YO.
2) #5 Coalmoon (5/1) He's the fastest coming into the race, but is coming off Lasix. He did just pair his 2YO top which wasn't with Lasix, but I still think #1 is the horse to beat.
3) #2 Urban planner the 5/2 ML fav is a bet against. His last 2 #s were competitive in here, but they were with Lasix & trainer Harty is 0/17 Lasix off.

9th:
1) #7 Kale's Angel (2/1) Two time minor stakes winner sprinting, if he gets anywhere near his 2YO top, 3 races ago, on dirt, he'll win by the length of the stretch. I can't see trying to beat him even though he's untested on Tapeta.
2) #4 Coming in Hot (5/2) won his 1st two sprint races at Turfway before going an ill-advised 1 1/16 in the Battaglia. Back to sprinting today.
Edit: Original 2nd choice #8 Global Steve scratched

10th:
1) #2 Paros (8/1) He came here on 12/14 and won the Prairie Bayou earning a new top in his only synthetic race. He then went back to turf and didn't do much in 2 subsequent starts. This surface & this track may be his favorite place to race. At 8/1 I'm willing to take a shot he loves Turfway.
2) #8 Hush of a Storm (9/2) 6 time synthetic winner closed within 2 lengths of my top choice 2 back.
3) #6 Encino (4/1) Won the Battaglia last year & then won the Lexington before prematurely ending his 3YO season. Returns to Turfway where he's 2/3.
4) #3 Verstappen (7/2) He won this race in 2023 and has the #s to compete against these.

11th:
1) #5 Bless the Broken (10/1) She's run numbers on dirt that beat this field and is 1st time synthetic. She's stabled at Turfway and has workout experience over the track. She's cross entered in the Fair Grounds Oaks, but the fact they brought her back to Turfway to train after wintering in New Orleans makes me think she'll be running here-and winning this race.
2) #1 Resolve (8/1) Here's a turf horse coming in from Santa Anita, but this filly has been working extensively on the SA synthetic track -13 straight workouts
3) With #12 Will Then staying in So. Cal to run on turf at Santa Anita,3/1 ML fav #11 White Rocks becomes the 3rd choice.

12th The Jeff Ruby Steaks BEST BET
1) #9 Poster (3/1) towers over this field and even though it's his 1st Tapeta race, he's been stabled here since May of his 2YO campaign where every one of his workouts other than a 2/2/25 work at Tampa before running in their Sam Davis have taken place. That's 30 works over this track.
2) #12 He's Not Joking (15/1) is not a dirt horse, so his last 2 graded stakes on dirt have darkened his form. Before those 2 races, he won Woodbine's G3 Grey as a 2YO going 1 1/16 last November. If Poster wasn't in this race, he'd be the standout colt in here.
3) #6 Baby Max (5/1) Won the Leonatus here before getting beat by California Burrito even though he ran faster on the TG #s than the winner.
4) #3 California Burrito (7/2) Won the Battaglia over Baby Max, but Baby Max had the better figure. They'll both will be battling for 3rd in here because the top 2 are simply better than anything that's been running at Turfway.

13th:
1) #2 Hilarious Affair (3/1) I just think this is another race where my top choice is just better than the horses he's running against. This is a sprinter who had no business running a mile in his last race.
2 & 3) I'll be filling in my exactas & tris with logical horses #7 Retained (7/2) and #8 Oh Really (4/1)