Monday at the track: RT goes to Parx and the Fair Grounds to pick a pair of races at each
Parx Race 8 - $35K Allowance N1R
PA bred filles and mares, 3yo’s↑ going 7F
#8 Crazy Bea (9/5) going 9:0-3-2 for the year and 11:1-4-3 at Parx, this three-year-old filly appears to be the bridesmaid and at 9/5? Pass. #6 Lucky Imagination (15/1) getting class relief after three state N1X allowance races. In her last, she clipped heels in the first furlong and ran wide the entire trip. She appeared to have been moving into form and that faux pas transpired, yet she still gave the effort to get up for 5th. #7 Sunday Inn (6/1) is third off the layoff and capable of better than last time. Sent off at low odds, Frankie Pennington held her back, two wide, and she had nothing when prompted. 4F work in :48.2, this lightly raced Tyler Servis trainee may fool some today. #1 Rolls Royce Joyce (5/1) showed improvement last race regardless of the bad trip she had. Anthony Salgado is riding on her for the third time and expect to see her closer to the lead.
Four-year-old #2 Lady Munnings (5/1) is my choice. Last year, she broke her Maiden at Presque, she was, to her chagrin, put into N1X allowance races at that track. Benched for eleven months, she worked forwardly for her four-year debut in July and won a $32K allowance at Penn. Evidently, the trainer thought she was better suited for synthetic or grass and she fared poorly until she was dropped to a low-level claimer. Moved to Parx on November 17th and put in a N4L claimer, she won going away and was claimed by Jonathan Shephard. Next, and her last race, she won in a picture in a $12.5K claimer. This Speightstown filly is in peak form and her new trainer, Kathleen DeMasi, is 17% off the claim, Munnings is 7:4-0-0 for $66K this year and 2-2 at Parx for $32K. Look for her to be flying late.
Parx Race 9 - $40K Allowance N1X
3yo↑ fillies and mares going 6.5 furlongs.
We’re going to get a hot pace with #7 Chub Wagon (9/2), #9 Shesasuperfreak (9/1), #1 Precious (15/1), #6 Capital Q (6/1), and #5 Map Of America (7/2) leading the way. Pay Attention to Three Potato Four in the second race as she exits a key Race that Chub Wagon won. She could be worth some money wagered after just breaking her maiden at first asking on 11/16. The added distance should not be a factor and the five-pound weight break with second Lasix will help. #4 Chipofftheoldblock (15/1) gets class relief today after running in two starter stakes in her last three. She’s been marginally competitive in her last N1X allowance races and the return of Edwin Rivera to the irons will be a benefit. She’s a live play in a tri or super bet. Precious is third off the layoff, has Frankie back and this time he won’t get caught up in :22.2 & :44.8 fractions. If he stays near, and has something in the tank for late, the rail has been friendly to sprinters. Shesasuperfreak, breaking her maiden at first asking, was moved around the NYRA circuit racing in higher level allowance races and bigger money claimers. Ran down to Parx after a four-month hiatus, she entered a starter allowance, took the lead in the stretch, and got beat by a nose. The connections changed trainers to Robert Klesaris, who promptly brought her back to Belmont and Saratoga where she put up ok numbers with so/so results. Another change, this time to the Maymo barn, an immediate trip to Parx on 12/9, she set the pace in a starter allowance and tired in the stretch. Parx seems to hold favor for her and she will be out on the lead today. Map Of America has been tough in her last two, both N1X allowance races and this will be her third race coming into this form cycle.
For betting this race, I am going with Map Of America on top with Chub Wagon, Chipofftheoldblock, Capital Q and Shesasuperfreak in exotics.
Fair Grounds – gorgeous day today in New Orleans. Sunny and in the 70’s
Fair Grounds Race 8 - $17K Optional Claimer N1X
3yo’s↑ going 6 furlongs
This race may prove tougher for #8 Coltonator (5/2) than what appears on paper. Shipped in from Churchill, has a 4:1-1-0 record at FG for $35K, an 8:2-2-1 record for the year with $67K in earnings, 9:2-3-0 for $88K at the distance, and gets leading rider James Graham where, along with trainer Greg Foley, they’re a strong 26% together. What may be problematic for him is his proclivity to go to the front and #3 Nice Work (20/1), #6 Verb (9/2), and #1a Mister K (3/1) have all set fractions on the front end just as fast. This could very well play into the hands of Lothenbach Stables/Neil Pessin’s hand of #1 Grove Daddy (3/1) with a late kick, drop in class and Brian Hernandez Jr. left to close out the race.
However, my choice is going to be Verb, who gets third leading money earner Mitch Murrill back today. Mitch had this grandson of Mineshaft posting big numbers in open maiden company this spring at Churchill and after getting his diploma on May 23rd, he was benched until November 20th. Put in a $63K N1X allowance race at CD, he stalked on the inside and tired down the stretch. Two weeks later and a move to FG, he set the pace in a $47K allowance, opened a lead by two and was caught in the final strides to get second. He’s back three weeks later with a :49 freshening on 12/19 and Murrill will not make the same mistake twice by letting him out too soon.
Fair Grounds Race 9 - $50K Optional Claimer N1X
Two-year-old fillies going 5.5F on turf
#7 Easy To Bless (10/1) is first off the claim for Chris Hartman (9%) and is one of two today in for a tag. You would put her up for a claiming price of $50K if you just paid $15K. She gets first Lasix today, a sneaky good jockey in Francisco Arrieta and she will go straight to the front. #1 Taylor’s Tourist (5/1) is returning to grass where she had a near miss in the $400K Untapable Stakes at Kentucky Downs in mid-September. This was a more impressive second than appears due to the final ½ furlong treads uphill and she moved past three horses in the stretch. In her next, and last turf race, she entered the G2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland neared the leaders, then felt the stretch out from 6.5 furlongs to 8.5 and faded off. Her last two have been dirt stakes and she has languished. We’re back to grass today where she is 2:0-1-0 for $77K, a turn back in distance, which will suite her front style, and excellent jockey Mitch Murrill. #6 Spun d’Etat (7/2) she could be somewhat of a risk as she’s faced much tougher company, yet on dirt. This will be her first attempt at turf and she does not come from a prolific turf pedigree (although her grandma fared well in New Zealand). She’ll get first Lasix and Tom Amoss is a respectable 21% from dirt to turf. #4 New Boss (9/2) looked like a new boss when set out last time versus similar company. She set the pace and eventually gave way to stay up for second. That race was decided in 1:03.2 and a similar effort today from this filly out of Medaglia d’Oro filly is a winner.
My choice is #8 Doc Girl (3/1) – she broke her maiden in her last, and only race, at this course and distance going in 1:04 flat. That was after taking command at the stretch and held back coming to the wire. Second Lasix today, typical improvement from race 1 to race 2 and she is going to be one tough out.
