THE HORSEPLAYERS JOURNAL by Mike Hamilton

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1 Race 1 Selections 8 CHICKIE LOVE is the one to beat now that she has abandoned plans for a career in the conditioned ranks. She was exceptionally good in beating $15K claimers in her first two starts for trainer Richard Moreau but then found herself on the outside looking in when she made the rather bold move to the NW7 class on 03/02. I like the fact that she faded to seventh because otherwise they may have decided to give her a second shot at that much more lucrative purse. Let s hope that she handles Post 8 a bit better than she did the 10 hole on 02/02. 1 JORDIES HOPE doesn t look out of place in this $15K claimer even though each of her last four wins came in 8K-10K handicaps. We said as much in her last two starts and each time she wound up third as the chalk. She was forced wide to get around stalled cover in the first start off the claim (03/02) and then simply didn t have what it took to haul down 5-2 second favourite Docs Sausalito in her latest. Trevor Henry offed her in favour of Sodwana Bay in this race, although that s possibly out of loyalty to Vic Puddy. 2 SODWANA BAY was rather disappointing in her latest with 8K-10K claimers so it s tough to pick her in a $15K claimer even if it is restricted to NW90,000 lifetime. Presumably trainer Vic Puddy has a plan so we ll give her the benefit of the doubt and a top-three billing for now. 6 BAD BAD DIVA is since joining the Kyle Fellows barn so it s not a bad idea to give her a shot at this $10K purse rather than ship to London for $6500. In her last start at London she beat all but a 2-1 shot in Apple Tart Hanover who is this year. ON THIS DATE 1830 The New York Stock Exchange had its slowest day ever when 31 shares traded Barnum & Bailey Circus debuted.

2 Race 2 Selections 1 THE TIME TO WIN is making what would normally be considered a pretty steep move up the class ladder. However, this particular collection of NW4 fillies includes two who are moving up and three who have been getting only minor shares at this level. It s just the kind of race that a competitive 4-time winner like TTTW should win without too much trouble. Her workload has to be easier than what she faced on 03/02 when parked every step from Post 9 and still just a few inches shy of beating a tripped-out Dontbruisecarrie. 4 PLAY WITH PASSION didn t look like a good candidate to just sail through this class when it took a perfect trip and a long look at the photo finish before she was declared a winner at NW2. To her credit, the four-year-old mare has picked up cheques in each of four starts at this level. Of course there were only five starters in her latest race and she wasn t a serious threat to the winner despite an inside trip. 3 GLANCEWITHME did most of the work in her latest and it proved to be a winning effort as predicted by the Win pool bettors. I wasn t sold on her going into that race but will admit that she should have at least been mentioned (she was not). 6 SHEER TALENT might be ready for business after a pair of inside trips to start the year. While neither was particularly impressive, at least she does have experience at the level and a win in 1:52 when she faced Grassroots types last September. 5 SKYFALL SENA is on a roll after winning her last race of 2017 by 12 lengths and her first two this year by margins of a quarter length and 2-1/2 lengths. I d like to watch her once before jumping on the bandwagon but will add that Filion dropped Play With Passion to steer this one for Quebec-based owners.

3 Race 3 Selections 5 FLYING ISA N doesn t leap off the page but I wouldn t be the least bit surprised if he sprung to life in his first start for.403 trainer Patrick Shepherd. Sometimes it s best to stick with the class and in this case that s 24-time winner Its Payday Friday and 26-time winner Flying Isa N who combined have won almost $800K. Doug McNair was named on both horses and at scratch time it was revealed that he ll drive Flying Isa N even though he nearly got it done last time with Its Payday Friday. 4 ITS PAYDAY FRIDAY was tabbed as our Longshot pick of the night on 03/08 when he wound up third as the second favourite! We ll assume that the driver change from (trainer) Ronnie Morales to hired man Doug McNair was what caused the odds to drop below 2-1. Off course bettors may also have latched onto the fact that he has a ton of back class and that no fewer than 18 of his 24 wins have come under Morales management. Exacta and trifecta players may still find that Its Payday Friday! 7 AIR GLIDER has been very popular with claiming trainers and their clients as well as the Win pool bettors. Unlike Its Payday Friday who appears to be rounding into form and Flying Isa N who we think might step up a notch for a new trainer, Air Glider is a case of what you see is what you get. He s tough to beat when allowed to front the field but he doesn t always get that opportunity. 6 LABATT HANOVER is one that we happily backed on 02/15 in the belief that he had found a winnable race in his second start for trainer Richard Moreau. And he win he did! The catch is that The Power of Many was running on fumes and Labatt Hanover just barely got by after a perfect trip. He hasn t been as lucky in three subsequent starts for Moreau or Patrick Shepherd. ON THIS DATE 1939 An NHL record of 10 goals in 1 period was set when the NY Rangers scored 7 goals and the NY Americans got 3 goals, for a total of 26 points in the 3rd period.

4 Race 4 Selections 6 I WISH YOU WELL shows the classic signs of an obviously talented mare who is rounding into winning form. She was rested in over the winter, requalified in winning fashion on 02/22, a closing third when raced from off the pace in her first start back and tested on the front in her latest. According to Trackus, she travelled 25 further than the winner on 03/02 and at 27.2 her last quarter was the best in that race. Mario Baillargeon gave her a rousing steer when favoured on 03/09 but unfortunately she was asked for too much in the third quarter. Do the math and you ll see that her own third panel was in :26 flat! The fact that she held on for third is actually quite impressive. Let s see how Filion handles the situation. 3 CAROLINA CHERRY did better than expected when she dropped into a 15K claimer for fillies and mares on 03/02 and she was even better when she returned to the NW4 class and pulled off a win one week ago tonight. It was a short field of five so she only beat four starters, including a leader who faded to last and a runner-up who was the heavy favourite but who had no obvious excuse after a second-over trip. 9 HOT SPOT HANOVER got by I Wish You Well late in the 03/09 race and that was despite a very long trip and a first-over tour of the final turn. I can see her hitting the board in this rematch with IWYW but I seriously doubt that she ll improve on that second place finish now that she must deal with Post 9. 5 BOURBON SEELSTER looks okay on paper but we d like to see her race once with I Wish You Well and Carolina Cherry before declaring her ready to win at NW10000L5. She has not raced since 02/23 and could likely use a race. MIKE S HOT ONE: 6 I WISH UYOU WELL

5 Race 5 Selections 4 I C TRUE GRIT wasn t very competitive when he raced at this level in February for previous trainer Sharon Christie so we re obviously taking a leap of faith in picking him to win. Before you brush him off as a little out of his league, consider that he has been sold and moved to the Patrick Shepherd stable since he last raced. Perhaps the combination of a.403 trainer and a.362 driver (Doug McNair) will step him up a notch or two. I don t know how much it means, but he has previously won first-time for trainers Donald Jobin and Ed McHale and Shepherd has a superior record with new recruits. 2 NOW WHAT HANOVER put up a good fight in his latest but ultimately Post 10 was too much to overcome when OK Iceman put up fractions of 26.3 and I can see him bouncing back in this first start for trainer Carmen Auciello but I certainly don t think he ll offer much in the way of value. 9 FACE OF WAR has longshot potential now that he s had a start since his two month absence. The last time that he had a significant gap in his schedule was between October 2016 and April 2017 and he did win his second start back. I m not sure how much that means as it was at Flamboro and he was in easy enough that he was sent off as the definitive favourite. 3 J K COWBOY isn t quite as hopeless as his start to the season might suggest. He took the long way around the track when he faced better on 03/05 and passed a few in the 02/22 race which was at this level. 5 OK ICEMAN is the one who made Now What Hanover say uncle on 03/08. It was a good wake up call for the Louie Eftimiadis pupil but in the end he had to settle for second and he s still winless in ONE TO WATCH: 4 I C TRUE GRIT

6 Race 6 Selections 8 BLAMEITONTHEWHISKY is one that we sided with on 03/09 when he dropped down, drew inside, and was paired with Doug McNair for the second time. We were willing to completely overlook a non-factor 10th on 03/03 as he had dropped to NW3000L5 and that class seemed like it might be right up his alley. It wasn t. But hey, he did go a long way on the lead and McNair now knows even more about what makes him tick. I can see him rebounding, especially if treated to a pocket trip like the one he had just seven back when he won at NW4. 1 HLDONTGHTTOYURDRMS might be able to summon up some of his considerable back class and pull off a win now that he has dropped to NW3000L5. If he did it would be his first WEG win since April 2016 when he was racing in the Preferred. 5 YOOOUKILIS didn t do anything out of the ordinary when he returned to Woodbine on 03/09 but I m willing to give him a second look now that he has that tightener under his belt. At least he showed enough early foot that he was able to work out a three-hole trip. 2 GREAT MAGIC has had plenty of opportunity at this level and he remains 1-for-36 in 2017/2018. He had a great opportunity to win on 03/09 when he actually had a head in front with an eighth to go and he still found a way to lose. He ll get it done one of these times but predicting when is all but impossible. 3 CHARMBO CHROME isn t an obvious pick but neither is he one that I d rule out altogether. He has purged his lone 2018 win from his last six lines and his last win of 2017 is now just 12 lines down the page. I think that one is significant as he dropped from NW3 to this NW3000L5 class and he tracked down a pair of 5-2 shots for the win at 7-1. MIKE S VALUE PLAY: 8 BLAMEITONTHEWHISKY

7 Race 7 Selections 9 ARTISTIC MADISON hasn t been mentioned in this space since 02/24 when picked for second but we ll gladly move her to the top of the list now that she has dropped to NW10000L5. Just look at the names of some that she has been facing of late: Ms Mac N Cheese, Witch Dali, P L Hurricane, Rubis Prescott and Circle The Page! These are some of the top mares in the country at this point and Artistic Madison has been mixing it up with them week after week. Her last win was in January when she contested the NW15000L5 class and the last time she was at this level was on 12/15 when she led until the final few strides before giving way to a totally tripped-out P L Hurricane. 3 SOUTHWIND ION has put together an impressive record of to kick off We weren t sold on her when she made the switch from claimers on 03/09 but she works out a cozy trip behind the heavily favoured Barockey and held off a host of others to claim second prize. I can see more of the same with Artistic Madison subbing for Barockey. 4 NAUGHTY LADY B was pretty good on the front in her latest so it s not hard to imagine her trying that same approach once again. But will it work at NW10000L5? I rather doubt it. She had them jammed up at the half and then sprinted away from them in a stepped-up third quarter. Surely others like Artistic Madison or Southwind Ion or even Leaving A Legacy will put up a little more fight than Pretty Hot. ON THIS DATE 1957 Toronto Maple Leafs tied a then NHL record of 37 points, beating NY Rangers General Motors produced its 100 millionth automobile, the Oldsmobile Toronado Peter Core-trained Treevarious gave David Dowling his first driving win, at Western Fair Raceway.

8 Race 8 Selections 3 OPTIMA KEMP didn t get a lot of support when she dropped to a similar class on 03/10 but I suspect that she ll get a lot more attention in this race. At first glance you might assume that she s racing at the same level as the condition on her last chart line Indicates NW6000L5. However, that was an open race and here she will face only mares and just five of them. Another reason to expect a little more support is that she figures to be brave after an inside trip that saw her finish a blocked but apparently game seventh. 4 APRIL ROSE must not be underestimated now that she is back from a four-race stint at Flamboro in which she managed to win two and might have won three if not for an interference break on 03/01. I wouldn t get too hung up on her recent times as the track was anything but fast on 03/01 and she simply didn t have to go any faster to get the win on 02/08. She s a solid top-two pick in this race for fillies and mares. 1 JUSTASMALLTOWNGIRL was let go at 72-1 when she started from the outside in the 03/10 race in which Optima Kemp was a blocked but game seventh. Justasmalltowngirl was definitely not blocked or game. Hopefully the inside post and an all-girl cast will result in a quick turnaround. 2 LADY CATERINA isn t one that we an get all that excited about but neither is she a total cross-off now that she has drawn Post 2 in a short field. She was parked every step when she left from Post 7 in her latest and she did win two of her last five at Flamboro as well as the Legends Day Trot at Clinton last summer. MIKE S HOT ONE: 3 OPTIMA KEMP

9 Race 9 Selections 1 EXHILARATED is the one to beat now that she has been spared the unenviable task of taking on top notch mares like Witch Dali and Ms Mac N Cheese, etc. What s most surprising about her 03/02 race in the Preferred class is that she was sent off as the 6-5 favourite despite the fact that she went into that race with an advertised record of 0-for-16 in the top class. She does, however, look a lot better now that she has dropped a notch even though it s a tougher race than any of her three February wins. She s the one to beat but not unbeatable! 6 CIRCLE THE PAGE will argue that she deserves top billing as she has actually won at this level and she did it one week ago tonight when subjected to a gruelling first-over trip that included a 27.4 tour of the third quarter. Sure, P L Hurricane blew a big lead to Circle The Page, but we re treating that more as a case of CTP being extra good rather than PLH actually packing it in. None of the others made any progress and there was a significant gap to the third place finisher. 8 P L HURRICANE had been so close in recent starts at the f&m-preferred that it wasn t hard to see why she would be favoured on the drop to this level one week ago. As we said above, Circle The Page was extra good in tracking her down. Things might have been different had she not put up splits of 12.4 and 26.3 on a night where there was a stiff west wind (headwind in the first and last quarters). ON THIS DATE 1991 Covert Action (Ray Schnittker) lowered the world record for pacers five and older on a half mile track with a 1:53.1 win in a leg of the George Morton Levy Series at Yonkers.

10 Race 10 Selections 8 TWENTY THREE RED didn t get a mention in this column when she returned from Yonkers and faced some of these same mares on 03/10. We figured that she d be raced from off the pace and others like Bernadette and Lights Go Out had a little more appeal (emphasis on the little ). Well, Jonathan Drury and Twenty Three Red took their best shot and it nearly worked out. If she s a bit better with that race in the books and an extra week in the home barn, I can see her bouncing back with a win, especially if she gets to follow a helmet which seems likely now that she has Post 8. 4 BERNADETTE "might be the best bet of the night or she might be the worst bet of the year. That was our assessment prior to her race on 03/10. Unfortunately we picked her on top in that race and didn t get any of the 3-1 that was offered on race winner Stellenbosch (who had been double digits in the same class in many recent races). When she was on top of her game last January-February- March, Bernadette won 5 of 9 while moving up the ladder, including two wins in the f&m-preferred. 5 JUSTABIT MEAN didn t do any of the heavy lifting in the 03/10 race that saw her finish in a photo for win. She has had plenty of opportunity to win at this level and just can t seem to get it done. But leave her off the trifecta ticket? That s a risky approach when she s E R RHONDA will attempt to make the switch from a low-end claimer to this low-end conditioned race. While she was very good in winning her latest, she ll have to take it to another level to win even the NW3000L5 conditioned class and Post 10 won t help.