HANDICAP THE BATTLE HERE

[the believer]

Keith sounds like he needs a hand to handicap the big race or at the least a few opinions on how you see the big race. This is the Handicapping Northfield board so if you'd like to handicap the race , post your picks and reviews here.

Thanks in advance .

the believer

[kangaroox]

I think Brett Miller and Maltese Artist will make a second over trip for the win. Dodgeball and Gold Dust Beach should duke it out early for the lead with My Boy David settling in for third. I can't see Maltese Artist battling it out for the front end in the early going but Miller may flash a little out of the gate in order to get ahead of Our Lucky Killean if he lacks confidence in being able to follow that horse when he makes his move on the outside. The only other thing I can see is that David Miller doesn't fire to the front in the hopes of baiting Brett Miller into using up his horse in an early speed duel with Dodgeball. But I think such a scenario would actually be a gift for Brett. Furthermore, since Gold Dust Beach is the favorite, he almost has to fire by default. Lastly, the lack of any recent past performance lines showing Maltese Artist grinding it out on the outside for the win should be an additional inducement for David Miller to leave hard early with Gold Dust Beach and force Brett Miller and the rest to earn it the long way around.

By the half, Maltese Artist should be following either My Boy David or Our Lucky Killean second over on the outside. The monkey wrench in the equation is if both My Boy David and Our Lucky Killean are mainly in the race just to get a piece of the action, they will elect to save ground along the inside and hope to come up late, forcing Miller and Maltese Artist to go first over. But chances are, one of the two, either My Boy David or Our Lucky Killean, will move early on the outside giving cover for Maltese Artist. Our Lucky Killean is a puzzling horse for me. The power numbers say he's got no shot yet on paper I like his steady diet of checks on the tough OJC circuit. Canadian horses have usually done pretty well in Northfield Park stakes action while horses from Balmoral Park have usually not fared so well. At any rate, Load The Dice and Mister Big will look to follow Maltese Artist on the outside. If Brett has to go first over, they become more of a threat to win. Ryan Stahl and Ataboyart will hope to come up late for fifth.

As for the back half of the race, if Maltese Artist gets bad cover or has to grind it out a long time going first over, then the race should come down to either Dodgeball and Gold Dust Beach on the inside or Load the Dice and Mister Big on the outside. Otherwise, with a good trip, Maltese Artist should eventually swoop the front end and come up late for the win.

Final Order: 5-4-8-3

[trackrat]

The Trackrat sees this finish:

1) Load the Dice
2) Gold Dust Beach
3) My Boy David

In a head to head matchup on April 14 at the BigM, Load the Dice lost by a length to Gold Dust Beach, who had the six hole versus the nine hole for Load the Dice. LTD was very sharp in February at Pompano and then took virtually the whole month of March off. During the February sharpness, LTD beat Maltese Artist three weeks in a row.

Gold Dust Beach has exceptional early speed and I see David Miller taking him to the front early, with resistance from My Boy David on the rail. I look for Gold Dust to set the fractions.

Maltese Artist should be first over with Brett Miller, followed by Load the Dice and Mister Big. I look for Load the Dice to go three wide at the 3/4, around Maltese Artist to challenge Gold Dust Beach going into the stretch.

In the stretch drive, I look for Load the Dice to nip Gold Dust Beach, with My Boy David coming up the inside passing lane.

Okay, now I have officially contaminated any chance that any of those three horses will hit the board.

[longshotmike]

4 Gold Dust Beach D. Miller
8 Mr.Big G. Grismore
6 Load The Dice Y. Gingras
2 Dodge Ball A. Merriman

Thats how I see it, if Grismore drives Mr. Big anywhere close to the way he drove Cambest Prince back in the Princes last battle,Mr. Big could win it all! Remember The Prince also had an outside post position (7).

I also believe that the #1My Boy David will be over bet, which could lead the exotic pools pay out nicely!