Race 6:   5 – 4 – 10 – 7

I’m not particularly interested in the returning War Canoe (7), who really woke up on the Aqueduct turf course last season and probably wants to go farther than this. In my opinion, the horse to beat is WAY SMART (5). I know that she looks a bit slower than some of her rivals, but she handled this distance when breaking her maiden last fall, and then was compromised by a subtly difficult trip in November. This full-sister to the talented Tizzelle returns in the right kind of spot, and she possesses the necessary tactical speed to work out a good trip. I’ll use her with the logical Spring Folly (10), as well as recent Rudy Rodriguez claim Baronet (4).

Race 7:   2 – 4 – 5 – 6

This is one of the most competitive races of the day, as each runner has a reasonable chance to win. Among those at shorter prices, Sandy Belle (4) and Wilburnmoney appear to be most dangerous. The former possesses ample early speed in a race that does not feature much of that. The Pace Projector is predicting a situation favoring the front-runner, and that gives her an advantage. WILBURNMONEY (2) ran some fast speed figures on occasion last year and was often hindered by poor trips or adverse circumstances in the races in which she underperformed. She appeared to get back on track with her return effort against open company last time. This is an easier spot than that one and she figures to work out a decent stalking trip. With the likely scratch of Silly Sister, who was entered back on Sunday, Wilburnmoney becomes my top pick, and I'll primarily use her with Sandy Belle, recent allowance winner Sugarille (5), and Mizzen Max (6), who also possesses speed. The horse that I'm somewhat against at a short price is Playinwiththeboys, who appeared to improve when stretched out in distance and drew a difficult rail post position for this race.

Race 8:   1 – 7 – 2 – 5

Rocketry (7) is likely to go off at a short price again following a fairly obvious troubled trip in his last start at Gulfstream. While it’s unclear how much closer he would have finished that day, he was clearly hindered. Now he’s getting back to New York, and is again stretching out to a longer distance. Anything shorter than 10 furlongs is probably a bit shy of his best trip, so this added ground should allow him to get back to his better efforts. He’s the horse to beat, but he does face some significant rivals, including two from the Mike Maker barn. St. Louie (2) has arguably run the best recent turf races of anyone in this field, but he’s coming into this race off a five-month layoff. Mike Maker has very good numbers off breaks like this, but it’s not as if you’re going to get a particularly enticing price on this gelding. I’m actually more interested in Maker’s other entrant, ROMAN APPROVAL (1). His recent form is concerning, but he ran all of those races for Tom Morley. Some horses just click with certain trainers, and Roman Approval had previously run exceptionally well for Mike Maker. I think it’s a great sign that he’s claimed back by these connections and immediately stepped up in class. Furthermore, there’s very little speed signed on for this race, and Roman Approval has successfully gone wire to wire on this Belmont course in the past.

Race 9:   9 – 8 – 2 – 12

Dream Passage (8) has consistently run the fastest races among her competitors, and this 7-furlong distance seems to be ideal for her. Her first race back from the layoff last year was actually quite good, so there’s reason to believe that she can fire fresh once again. I’m certainly not against her, but there are other options to consider in this intriguing maiden race. Among the top challengers are those with prior turf experience. Kreesie (6) ran well last November and draws Irad Ortiz for her return. Out of Orbit (12) should appreciate a cutback in distance after finding two turns to be a bit too far in her grass debut. Ailish (3) is coming out of a weaker race last fall, but ran a bit better than it seems considering her wide trip. I’ll use them as backups, but there are some first time turfers to consider. The obvious one is Exceed the Goal, whose pedigree is full of turf influences. She was running late in her dirt debut a few weeks ago and should appreciate this switch to grass. I’m certainly using her, but my top pick is CAITRIONA (9), who may fly under the radar in this race. This filly actually has plenty of turf pedigree. She’s by 13% turf sire Munnings, and is out of a dam that handled turf despite never winning a race. However, the second generation of her female family is full of grass influences. Her second dam, Irish Actress, was a multiple turf stakes winner during her career and has been a solid grass producer. She produced Bella Attrica, a full sister to Caitriona’s dam, who won over $200,000 while racing primarily on turf. Caitriona’s return last time was not as bad as it seems and she showed some ability as a two-year-old. She should offer value in this competitive spot.