Looks to be great weather for racing tomorrow. All races are on the dirt.
Race 1: Clm 10000N2L, 7F
#1 – Kabob. Trained by Ray Handal, Kabob invades Laurel via New York to find softer competition. In his last start, Kabob did break through the gate and after that, he was for all intents and purposes out of it. Gets the hot Sheldon Russell to ride and will be the one to beat.
#4 – Jungle Warrior. Just missed in his last effort at this level. Has a habit of leaving himself with a lot to do in the stretch though and in the past four races, has come up short yet in the money.
#2 – Tom Terrific. My third pick was between this horse and the 6, Bold Trek. I took TT as a cycle play for he is in his top form and for the first time in a while, racing without a layoff. Has an off the pace style that’s well suited to winners at Laurel of late, so I’ll take a chance with this 8-1 shot.
Race 2: Maiden 25000, 7F
#2 – Point Driven. Sorry but these top two tickets are the favorites and for good reason, they seem better than the rest. PD drops into the Maiden ranks after butting heads on the MSW level for nine tries. Has run once at Laurel and put up one of the top Beyers in this field. Needs to keep tabs on the field for PD has a habit of falling back and leaving himself too much to do at the end. But he can close easier on this field.
#6 – Push to Start. Only race was back in Feb but it was a good one. Started off strong and lost it at the end. That was also a key race with the show horse winning next time out. Been working out since October with a steady tab.
#7 – More Twirl. A longshot play with some interesting angles for me. Adds blinkers and has the speed to be near the front. Has been competitive at the maiden 25K level and that was settled when he tried the maiden 40K ranks. Returns to where he’s been competitive and adds blinkers.
Race 3 Claiming 10000 N2L, 1M
#7 – Ghost on a Mission. Graduated last time out in dominating fashion, he came from 13 lengths out to win by 7. Will be encountering a stronger level of competition here, but has comparable Beyers to par times which makes him a threat.
#8 – Seven Plus Seven. Longer shot here, but I’m willing to back a horse that has been on a four Beyer improvement streak over a horse that’s been away for six months (see below). Like Ghost on a Mission, came from 14 lengths back last race to show by ¾ of a length. This is his 3rd off the layoff race and with any improvement can win this race.
#2 – Ego Trip. Showing some flashes of brilliance mixed in with duds, so which Ego Trip will show up today? Has been away from racing since March 6th and has a steady workout tab. Drops in to race at his lowest level in two years here, but ET may need a race to return back to form.
Race 4 Claiming 5000, 1 1/16 M
#1 – Charging Lion. Ran into a fast pace last time out, and if he repeats that here, should be close to the lead. Drops back down to the Claiming 5000 level and has the strong J/T combo of McCarthy and Ness. Throw in the nice workout on Nov 14 and there’s a lot to like here.
#2 – He’s Zippin On By. First off the claim for trainer Hugh McMahon. The November 6 workout shows he’s fit after his last win and is 6 for 16 at this distance on the turf.
#5 – Keeping the Peace. Made a good, hidden move in his last race on a sloppy track at Laurel. Still came in fourth, but to me seems to be rounding into form to be more competitive. Is 4 for 14 at this distance and stretching out he may be able to grab an easy lead here.
Race 5 OC25K/SAL25K, 6F
#7 Positive Force. Another Ness/McCarthy combo here, this harse has placed in the last 5 races run, burning money as the favorite in four of them. So beware! Has been closing well in each of those races and this is McCarthy’s third time on her, so maybe this time is the charm.
#2 Uno Tigress. Graduated last race and is the first claim for Dale Bennett. Bullet on Nov 4th shows he’s fit and this horse has been well backed. Facing a lot of horses that would probably prefer turf, but since turf opportunities are limited, I think Uno Tigress can be backed for she’s a dirt horse.
#9 Cassey’s Girl. Graduated last race in wire-to-wire fashion, she will not get the lead as easily this time. At 8-1 though, it’s worth a long look and backing, because she won’t have to improve all that much to win here.
Race 6 OC25K/SAL16K, 1 1/16 M
#7 – Its a Journey. Sorry, yet another McCarthy/Ness horse, McCarthy has won twice in three attempts aboard Its a Journey. IAJ hasn’t done well lately but she’s also been racing against stronger horses.
#5 – Annika Gold. Has the highest last Beyer of the field, she won her last race by over 10 lengths. The downside is that she only beat two other horses that day. She is 4 of 6 on the Laurel track though, so she does like it here and the good workout on Nov. 14.
#3 – Gennie Highway. Cycling back to best form. Unfortunately her best races are on turf. Is 1 for 1 on the dirt at this distance and came from behind to win. Retaining Ruiz for this ride is also a plus.
Race 7 – Alw 42000 N1X, 1M
For me, the most wide open race on the card. I can find reasons for six horses here. That being said we’ll go this way.
#9 – Pilot Episode. Shug McGaughey and PE try to win an allowance race again after just missing last time out. The Boyce/McGaughey combo strikes at 34% this year and I can see this one being favored. But vulnerable.
#8 – A Girl Named Jac. I like to go with lightly raced horses in allowance races and this improving horse fits the bill. Has already tried 3 allowance races in her career and has been getting closer with each effort. Taking off the blinkers her I assume to have her relax in the first half mile. If she improves from last race, I think she can get there at a price.
#6 – Speedy Vanessa. Her first allowance race last time out was a good learning opportunity. Got the lead in a 10 horse field before fading at the stretch. Has been improving in the last two starts, and this third race off the lengthy layoff may find her in top form and ready to steal this race.
Race 8 – OC50K/N3X, 1M
#8 Fortunate Friends. Going with the other Dilodivico horse here (#10 Taco Supream also his). Pretty much following Karamanos, who chose to ride this horse and has had very good success in doing so. If he returns to form I think she can take this. And at 6-1ML odds to boot.
#2 Golden Brown. Just missed as the favorite in the stakes race, this horse has also tried a G3 race. Lots of class here and if you don’t think this is a tuneup race, this horse has a lot of potential.
#9 Aspect. Like the rally in last race and it seems like this horse is rounding into form. Has Beyers in his earlier, summer races that match the best of these here. At 10-1 could be a good value play.
Race 9 – Maiden 10000, 5.5F
Yuck. This is another race I found hard to read but here goes.
#10 – Belly Flop. Best last Beyer, though it was on turf. That was a big Beyer jump when he raced on turf for the first time last out, but now returns to the dirt. Can he repeat that performance at what odds will you back him?
#8 – All About Audrey. Ran the .5 mile at 46.8 last time out which was his personal best before fading. I think that fade hides the face that AAA is improving fitness wise and potentially sitting on a big race. At 12-1 she’ll be on a few of my tickets, just in case.
#2 – Thunderinthevalley. Has burned money as the favorite in the last two showings, getting Perez on board for this trip. Can excuse the last race due to breaking out slowly. If she can return to form of his previous two races, will be right there at the wire.