Thoroughbreds Tuesday: McMudder is laying claim to his favorite angles at Parx

Crying over spilled milk. That’s what Gary West is doing by both appealing the result of the Derby and not running Maximum Security in the Preakness. Give he and his wife many kudos for being in the game for a long time and having many wonderful horses, including their two starters in the Derby. But horse racing is all about looking forward to a brighter tomorrow and prolonging the discussion about the Derby DQ doesn’t get anyway on to a brighter tomorrow. Instead, why doesn’t he send BOTH of his horses on to the Preakness to prove their mettle and deny the horse he sees as an impostor/interloper any chance of running for a Triple Crown at Belmont? Maybe the good people at Pimlico can let him have the entire outer grandstand for his entourage. Nobody else will be using it after all.

Picks for May 7, 2019:

Dry and fast after all of Sunday’s rain. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Parx Race 1
2-Congressional Storm has one of Mick’s favorite angles going for her, first off the reclaim. This mare heads back to the barn of trainer Mike Catalano where she spent a spell last year. It is especially important to note that the reclaim occurred as soon as the mare was dropped below the previous claim tag. No doubt that these connections were waiting patiently for this one to be available. The only concern is the distance since she has struggled at times to see out the 6f. 4-La Candelita won two back at this distance and that effort puts her in the mix. This one is consistently mediocre but that should be good enough for a piece. 6-Chancee has been progressive since arriving in her current barn but the speed figures for this 4-year-old are way below where she was last year.
$10 W/P/S 2-Congressional Storm
$2 Exacta Box 2,4,6
$1 Trifecta Box 2,4,6

Parx Race 5
A maiden race with almost half firsters makes for an interesting challenge. Does experience matter more or less if horses have shown only moderate talent? Of the firsters there is nary a bullet work and of the experienced there is nary a speed figure that should win here. So move on to connections and riders to get a better idea of who is well intentioned. 3-Two Item Maker becomes the stand out based on connections and family. Linda Rice just wins, everywhere and at all levels. The last horse she sent to Parx flattened a field. And this one is out of a stakes winning and producing mare that gets consistent runners. So the angle here is clear, Rice thinks this one is not up to Belmont maiden special weight standards but the connections can’t risk this daughter of Empire Maker in the claim box because of her residual value. Ugh, that makes it impossible to determine if she is well intentioned or the connections are just being hopeful. 1-Laura’s Jett has shown some good morning efforts and the barn and jockey are legit. If this one breaks well, she could lead the whole race. 4-Diva Drama is the best of the experienced fillies but she likes to run second, an angle that needs to get used here.
$10 W/P/S 1-Laura’s Jett
$2 Exacta box 1,3,4
$1 Trifecta box 1,3,4

Mick’s Quickie

Parx Race 4
7-Don Vito’s Kitty needs to forget the last race and revert back to past form to beat this very weak field.