Originally posted on 07/13/2012:

*Disclaimer-The plastic tracks are often a mystery to me so usually stick to dirt tracks but did Arlington because its a big day there.Also I don't take favorites .




I like 3-Mr Prankster(4-1) in the first.Cutback to 7 furlongs should be right in his wheelhouse and his trainer M Maker has absurd numbers going turf to synth.The favorite 1-Hogy lays over the field on #'s but think the layoff + sporadic works since might mean he won't fire .

In the 2nd I landed on 8-ROI George(8-1), its hard for first time starters to go a mile and the field is full of 1sters.This one never really had a chance in his first start breaking from the rail which is doomsday for a first timer.Donnie Von Hemel is also like 1% with 1sters but gets them going at around 20% in their 2nd start.If there is a firster I would go with 7-Telitikitiscoach, very well bred for turf by Artie Schiller who is one of the best 1st time turf sires especially at a mile.

3rd---9-Johnny Cadillac(10-1)Strictly a value based pick as I think that Saar will be a heavy favorite and would want to play against.The last 5 times Saar has been a heavy fave he has only won twice and he had to drop all the way down to a 3.5k maiden claimer at Thistledown to break his maiden.Johnny Cadillac did close pretty well last time and a repeat of that figure most likely wins this.

4th---This is a tough race, the 2-Courser(5-1) has been off a year and only had 2 starts but only start on synth was very impressive spotting the field 17 lengths when the track was favoring frontrunners that day and still flew home to only lose by 1/2 length.Hard to be confident though as I was flipping between her,6-Baby Face Nelson(Closed strong only start but was fast pace),5-Limehouse Dancer(Set that strong pace and held well), and 9-Compelling Case(A 1ster out of Successful Appeal who does very well as does trainer Chris Block.

5th---9-Foreign Appeal(8-1) or 8-No Apologies(8-1)

6th---3-Snow Top Mountain(6-1)