Good luck and look for short fields. Why? Lots of horses go south for the Winter and the recent herpes outbreak at Parx has eliminated any horses shipping out from there. As a result, scratches are up at other East Coast tracks and will be until everyone gets used to the new normal. Short fields make it more likely to finds horses with singular advantages in races. These include lone speed, lone closer, off track advantage and more.
Picks for January 18, 2019:
Snow or no snow? That is the question. The answer…who knows? The active snow should have cleared before race time so the main variables will be the amount of moisture and the temperature. Expect fast and harrowed but be concerned about frozen if too much moisture gets in and it is very cold.
Aqueduct Race 2
Optional claimer at $60K at 6f for boys. This one looks like free money. The entry 1-Trance and 1A- Rally Cap stand out above this field. If they both go, all the better. If only one goes, assume Zilla Racing is sending out the winner and you might get a better price. Go heavy here and hope for any price close to the morning line.
$20 W/P/S 1/1A-Entry
Aqueduct Race 5
$30K NY maiden 3-year-old fillies. Absent first time starters, this is a race to determine the least mediocre candidate. Although 5-Ok Honey looked promising at 6f two back the efforts at longer distances have been poor making today’s mile race a real challenge. Instead look to 2-Analyze With Honor to improve with both a fast track and the added distance. Reylu Gutierrez is at 25% winners for Rudy Rodriguez so this looks very promising. The 5/1 M/L is especially appetizing but may not hold until the break.
$10 W/P/S 2-Analyze With Honor
Laurel Race 4
$8K non winners of a race in 6 months for fillies and mares. Not exactly a group of Stakes horses. Deserved favoritism on the outside to 9-Little United. Two straight wins and the necessary rise up the ladder. The problem is that both of those races were on off tracks. Instead, try some back class and hope she moves up off the claim. 3-No More Excuses is looking for win number 13 on a career that has ebbed and flowed. Reclaiming that old winning style will play handsomely here.
$20 W/P/S 3-No More Excuses
Laurel Park Race 6
Handicap for fillies and mares that have started for $16K or less in 18 months. There is tons of speed here but speed works at Laurel right now. Let’s go with 4-Polite Pearl to turn the tables on 2-SW Briar Rose with the addition of the ½ furlong. JD Acosta is the man to get runners out and going making this one even more promising.
$10 W/W/S 4-Polite Pearl
$2 Exacta box 2,4
$0.50 Trifecta Box 1,2,4
And now for some quickies….
Laurel Park Race 4
2-Dixie Do Good gets stretched out to her previous winning distance and retains pilot Sheldon Russell. Happy New Year, Dove Houghton.
Laurel Park Race 5
JD Acosta wins 50% of the time when he rides for Hugh McMahon. McMahon is a former jockey so he should know about fitting riders to horses. Therefore, 6-CV’s Wild Child looks well intentioned here no matter the distance limitation screaming out from the pedigree.
Aqueduct Race 8
9-Malarkey gets the return services of the winning rider last out, Eric Cancel. Tough to move from 2L to 3L at the Big A but look for this one to continue the forward progress.