Thoroughbreds Monday: McMudder is at his usual spot – at the rail at Parx
It's Derby week so everyone will be focused on Churchill Downs in the media but there will be lots of racing elsewhere as turf racing expands, Delaware Park and Monmouth Park open this week and Presque Isle Downs opens next week. For the punter, this means that fields that have been growing over recent weeks as horses returned from Winter in the South will go the other direction to fill all of the fields at the now open venues. As a result, focus needs to be on horses that are pointed towards early card races because that is what connections want or what the horses have been waiting on. The second scenario is stronger and look for full turf fields at Monmouth to be super tough and most fields at Delaware to be light.
Picks for April 29, 2019:
Winds should pick up but still be less than on Saturday. Fast track, sunny skies.
Parx Race 3
State bred maiden races are always a hit or miss venture. Seldom do they include top to bottom talent and evaluating the prior races can be a challenge due to the variability of state bred races from cycle to cycle. But this field is very well matched with every horse having plusses and minuses. The value play is 3-Ez On the Eyes who comes in off a single race that was good for the first 4 furlongs and then conditioning issues showed up. The second start should help and the move to a higher percentage jockey should be a plus. 4-Diamond Moon gets Kendrick Carmouche and his charge is to get her to the finish line on time, a problem in her first two starts where she faded late. 1-Yellow Chick gets included in all the exotics since she has been living there in her last few. 6-Heraway showed new found promise last out and deserves consideration underneath, too.
$10 W/P/S 3-Ez On the Eyes
$2 Exacta Box 1,3,4
$1 Trifecta Box 1,3,4
$0.10 Superfecta Box 1,3,4,6
Parx Race 6
7-O’Kram takes a drop to the level of his claim and looks to reward these connections for persevering with this one on the dirt. The pedigree screams turf but the recent dirt performances are better than anything he put up on the weeds. This is the next logical step. 2-Glass Bridge ran a cracker last out but this one doesn’t do short turn arounds. 8-Hatteras Bound fills out the bottom of tickets as the most consistent sort in the race.
$10 W/P/S 7-O’Kram
$2 Exacta 7/2,8
$1 Trifecta box 2,7,8
Mick’s Quick Picks
Parx Race 5: 6-Schliffy found new success with prior connections but moves to a low percent barn here. Only play if the odds move up.
Parx Race 8: 1A-Draxhall Woods and 4-Artistic Drifter hook up again following a memorable stretch run last out. The extra furlong should help 4-Artistic Drifter.