BEST BET: PRIVATE ACCESS (9th) SPOT PLAY: NUMBER CRUNCHER (4th) Race 1: $75K Delmonica Hanover Conso. II - $10K GTD Pick 4 I’m not sure what went wrong in the Hambletonian oaks elimination but (5) SOIREE HANOVER lays over this field if right. (4) SLIP SLIDING AWAY tends to pick up her game when Dunn is in the bike. (1) CHEVAL RAPIDE displayed talent as a 2-year-old but it hasn’t come to the surface in 2024. With the inside draw I could see McCarthy trying to blast her off the gate. [DRF BETS: Wager on today's Pocono card at DRF Bets.com!] Race 2: $75K James Lynch Memorial Conso. II (3) SARASOTA HANOVER owns one big effort and a bunch of so-so ones this year. That said, her competition lines contain some of the best 3-year-old filly pacers while the rest of these can’t really say that. If she doesn’t shine here then I give up on her. (7) PRESSURE COOKER has the early speed to make noise and notice her best races have come in stakes events, albeit the second tier of the PA Sire Stakes. (4) REIGNING JADE is also in versus easier and perhaps she’ll wake up in start two on Lasix. Race 3: $100K Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Conso. II (5) SMART SCHOONER is far from reliable but does seem to have his head screwed on straighter lately. I’ll begrudgingly pick him due to lack of another standout option. (1) LIFE ON THE BLUF gets some major class relief and could be a factor if kept in striking position from pylon position. (3) LOXAHATCHEE is hard to get excited about after breaking in consecutive starts, but if he behaves chances are high he heads to the top. Race 4: $100K Max Hempt Memorial Conso. II (5) NUMBER CRUNCHER hasn’t been able to make noise in stakes events this year but also hasn’t caught a field as soft as this one. Captain Crunch-sired gelding is plenty versatile and can win with any reasonable trip. (1) BOOMING ECONOMY isn’t a top stakes-level horse and his earnings have basically forced him to face older foes in overnights. The switch to his peers could lead to a wake-up call. (7) DUBLIN DASHER has early speed and has looked good over this track; tested for class here. Race 5: $100K Sebastian K Invitational Trot - $5,000 GTD Pick 5 (7) JIGGY JOG S is the best older trotter in training on this continent and she should be helped by what figures to be a quick early pace. (8) PERICULUM has the advantage of potentially following the top pick and we know this guy can fly late. (6) LEXUS KODY is off the best mile of his life and he’ll take plenty of money. He needs to avoid suicidal fractions. Race 6: $125K James Lynch Memorial Conso. I (3) DANDY’S MERCY has plenty of form and has only missed the board once in 15 career starts. She’s capable of going to the front or racing from behind, and that could be key in a race with a few potential early speed players. (7) LOU LOU scratched into this division and seems to have landed in a winning spot if Gingras can get her to the front without issue. Notice she’s been chasing My Girl EJ and Rocket Deo lately, and either of those would be 1-5 in this race. (6) SWEETBEACHHERE picks up Dunn this week as Zeron opts to my top pick. If the race breaks down they could be coming late for a nice chunk. Race 7: Delmonica Hanover Conso. I (1) CHAPARMBRO is surprisingly winless in eight starts this year. This is a spot where I expect Zeron to let the outside speed settle and see what she has on the engine with a brush. (2) PAULINA HANOVER pulled the shoes in her Oaks elim and was charging late to make the final. Unfortunately she was never involved in that race and broke late. She fits here if the race sets up for her late kick. (6) SAMBUCA HANOVER hasn’t been finishing well but does add Lasix today; wakes up? Race 8: $200K Max Hempt Memorial Conso. I Tricky race here and we’ll try to get a bit of a price with (6) CLEVER CODY coming off an awful-looking line where he lost by over 20 lengths. Driver Aaron Merriman made a strange decision to not only pull the pocket after a 25 3/5 opening quarter but again following a 53 3/5 half. Keep in mind this was after a tough trip the following week in the Adios. New driver today! (3) SOLID CHARACTER has early speed and form but gets tested here. (1) CAPTAIN LUKE looks like the obvious favorite, though he’s failed in these situations before. (2) MCCRUNCH hasn’t stepped up his game as the competition has increased; needs a trip. (4) ARMADA HANOVER is a sharp horse adding Tetrick; steps up in class. Race 9: $200K Earl Beal Jr. Memorial Conso. I - $5,000 GTD Pick 3 (5) PRIVATE ACCESS raced great in the Hambletonian elimination but got unlucky in the final to draw post nine in the final. This may be a small consolation but he should have every chance to march down the road as the chalk. (2) TONY ADAMS S finished ahead of Karl and just behind Sig Sauer in his last start. He’s a huge threat to the top pick if he shows any vulnerability. (1) CABALLERO is a capable horse when given the optimal trip; needs help and luck on the smaller track. Race 10: $250K James Lynch Memorial - $15K GTD Pick 4 (6) CAVIART BELLE should finally offer some value on the board after a string of starts at 9-5 or lower. While she was flat in the Shady Daisy last time, reports are that she tied up due to the hot and muggy conditions. Let’s look for a quick return to form. (2) ROCKET DEO has reeled off three straight wins and is clearly the one to beat. (7) MY GIRL EJ never throws in a bad mile but has her work cut out for her finding the right trip from the outside post. (1) SWEET GAL seems to be improving and is off a lifetime-best mile. Race 11: $250K Delmonica Hanover (2) ELISTA HANOVER had a perfect trip and came up empty in the Oaks. According to trainer Annie Stoebe, the filly came out of the race sick. Considering she won her 10 previous starts, you have to treat the effort as an anomaly and I welcome the opportunity to play her at better odds. (3) FRENCH CHAMPAGNE was used a bit to the front last time and broke navigating through traffic. Dunn is back in the bike and I wouldn’t be shocked if she went off the favorite here off the driver change and trouble line. (1) BUY A ROUND charged home from no man’s land to be second in the Oaks. She could be a player but is too trip dependent to back with confidence on the smaller track. Race 12: $300K Max Hempt Memorial (7) LEGENDARY HANOVER is far and away the King of this division right now and it would take a regression or a major improvement from one of the others to score an upset. (5) CAPTAIN ALBANO didn’t look great IMO winning the Adios but he was good enough to get the job done. That was his fourth start in four weeks, so he had every right to be tried. He’s back now with some rest and Lasix added, so maybe we’ll see more. (2) CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS came up short in the Cane Pace. Was it the three weeks off? Will the driver change today help? He’ll have to show me he can beat Legendary Hanover before I believe it. Race 13: $300K Earl Beal Jr. Memorial (3) SIG SAUER ran into traffic in the Hambletonian and that certainly cost him a better placing than fourth. I fear he’ll be odds-on here off that performance but I just can’t make a strong enough case for any of the others to win. (8) GRUESOME TWOSOME raced well for fourth in his first try versus this class in the Dancer. He’s probably going to need some luck to get into the race but there is plenty of potential early speed signed on to set him up. (4) T C I had everything go his way in the Hambletonian elimination and won. Then he was used to the front on a track that wasn’t great for speed and faded. He probably deserves another chance to shine. (5) SECURITY PROTECTED is off a nice confidence building win and you know he’ll be firing towards the front. [DRF HARNESS: Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter] Race 14: $100K Always B Miki Invitational Pace (5) RUTHLESS HANOVER loves to race on five-eighths tracks as evidenced by his 11 wins in his last 14 starts over those surfaces. He just missed last time in the McKee and figures to be on a speed mission here picking up a driver known for gunning down the road. (3) VOUKEFALAS was done in by post 10 last time. He’s a huge threat here if the top one shows any signs of weakness late. (6) SEVEN COLORS has two straight miles where he’s sat at the back and closed strong with no shot. I’m not ready to toss him aside at double-digit odds.