MGM Northfield Park presents its richest card of the year on Saturday with well over $800,000 up for grabs on the 15-race program that starts at 6:00 PM (EDT). Below we examine the $30,000 (estimated) All-Stakes Pick 4 that begins in race eight. Race 8: $55,000 Ohio Sire Stakes (5) CLEVER CODY is riding a three-race Ohio winning streak and is clearly the horse to beat if driver Aaron Merriman can avoid too much trouble early in the mile as #’s (2) FEAR THE IMAGE and (3) JANELLE GRANNY are certainly capable of pushing him to his limits. The backup plan on the ticket is (1) PARIS’S DRAGON since he figures to sit just off the speed and may have the opportunity to pounce in the late stages if the pace is sizzling. Getting back to Janelle Granny, while he has talent, expect an underlay on the toteboard due to the driver change. ♦ Get FREE Harness Eye PPs for Saturday's Milstein Memorial card & watch the races LIVE! Race 9: $100,000 Aldrich Invitational Given his class and the inside draw it is impossible to make a strong case against (1) IT’S ACADEMIC. The 6-year-old is arguably the best older trotter in North America and none of his competition could find a seat in the top 10, maybe even the top 20. Something would have to go very wrong for him to lose. Race 10: $100,000 Charna Invitational In what seems like a repeat of my words from the Aldrich, it is very difficult to go against (8) BYTHEMISSAL, who towers over this group from a class perspective and is a proven winner on half-mile tracks. The one caveat is that multiple horses in this field are capable of going the speed of Bythemissal on their best days and if he was to run into an awful trip, defeat is in theory possible. With that in mind, I’ll play a ticket using stablemate (6) RISENSHINE SEASIDE, who was given a no-chance trip last out after chasing soft fractions and could be huge value here. Race 11: $300,000 Milstein Memorial What the 2023 Milstein lacks in top-tier talent is clearly made up for in competitiveness. Favoritism is sure to be split between #1 and #4 but we’ll settle on (3) CAPTAIN BATBOY as the top selection. The Tom Fanning-trained 3-year-old owns blazing speed off the gate and has already proven his affinity for half-mile surfaces. His 1:50 4/5 mile time in the Messenger is certainly faster than the other proven small-track horses have shown. Expect driver Jordan Stratton to gun to the front and sit no worse than second. (4) REDWOOD HANOVER is the best horse in the field for my money but he comes with the uncertainty of never being on a half-mile track and showing a recent unwillingness to fire hard off the gate. With any sort of reasonable trip he’ll be tough. Not making my Pick 4 ticket but certainly in contention with the right journey are (5) TIP TOP CAT, who has fine form but is stepping up in company, and (1) SEVEN COLORS, who will be bet heavy and might not be able to protect the coveted pylon position. $1 Pick 4 Tickets: 1,5 / 1 / 6,8 / 3,4 = $8 1,5 / 1 / 8 / 3,4 = $4