Horse Racing: Garrity picks claimers at Sunland & Turf Paradise 

We're back for a midweek stab at the races. Most of the tracks across the country are dark today, but there are a few running, and we can always find a few plays, because making few bets is good, as my old Hollywood Park pal Tony D. used to say, for "loosenin' up the old blood vessels." So we'll stave off arteriosclerosis by heading to the Southwest, to Turf Paradise and Sunland Park.

The 1st at Sunland goes off at 2:30 Eastern, and is a $6,500 maiden claiming race for older horses at 5 furlongs on the dirt. We are going to take a stab here, with 5-Storms and Thunder. He's a first-time starter owned and trained by Alvaro Hinojos. Do you know who Alvaro Hinojos is? Neither do we -- but this horse has shown some zip in morning workouts, and the horses who have run have one thing in common: they’re all slow. Storms and Thunder will not have to be the second coming of Swaps to win this one, so we will take a stab -- and it is a stab -- and take 20-1, and bet $5 on Storms and Thunder to win. That'll loosen up the old blood vessels, Tony. . . .

The 2nd at Sunland (2:57 Eastern) is another $6,500 maiden claimer, this one for three-year-old fillies, at 5 1/2 furlongs. We like 6-Oxbow Lass. In fact, she fits one of our favorite profiles: She did a speed-and-fade in a straight maiden race last out, and now drops in with cheap maiden claimers. The lesser company should be just what she needs, so we’ll take her 3-1 price, and bet $10 to win on Oxbow Lass.

From Sunland Park, we'll head about 400 miles west, to Turf Paradise in Phoenix. We are going to make a pick in the 7th Race, which is a $6,250 claiming race, for older horses, at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf (post time 5:36 Eastern); and we are also going to use the race to illustrate a pet handicapping angle of ours. The heavy favorite is the outside horse, 8-Chaska: He’s 6/5, and at first glance, this is deserved: his recent races, all on grass, are much better than any other horse in the race has run.

But there's a catch to this: He’s a front-runner, and heavily favored front-runners carry a target on their backs -- the other jockeys in the race do not figure to let him lope along in front, galloping comfortably and conserving energy for the stretch run. The usual shape of turf races favors come-from-behinders -- this is true even on more speed-favoring turf courses, like the one at Turf Paradise -- and we think that this sets this race up for a closer.

We like 2-The Gold Monkey. He has shown the ability to come from off the pace on both grass and dirt, and we think that he will be moving when the front-runners are fading. We will take his 4-1 price, and we will bet $20 on The Gold Monkey.

That's all for today. Good luck at the windows.