Home Forums Sports Picks Central Trackside Picks Super Saturday Ponies

Mike Dempsey

Here is today's opening race from Aqueduct to get our day off to a good start:

AQU Race 1 Clm $12,500B (12:30 ET)

#2 King Bo Bo 2/1
#3 Mr. Dr. Professor 6/1
#7 R Little Nugget 7/5
#6 Triple Glory 8/1

#2 King Bo Bo raced wide and was not much of a threat in a sixth place finish against Alw-1 company. The gelding was unable to keep up with the fast pace and drops into a much easier spot here tagged for $12.5K and facing non winners of three. The gelding owns a solid pace profile throughout and should be lying much closer in this spot.
#3 Mr. Dr. Professor was up with the pace early and faded to finish fifth last out against $16K non winners of a race in six months. The colt was cutting back from a sprint and with the blinkers added figures to show more early zip here. The low profile barn and jock assure this guy might end up the value of the race.
#7 R Little Nugget won three in a row for a $35K tag but his last pair were ugly. It's hard to back him at such a short price despite the class drop.




WIN: #2 to win at 2/1 or better.
EX: 2,3 / 2,3,6,7
TRI: 2,3 / 2,3,6,7 / 2,3,4,6,7

Today's Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:


AQU Race 9 Tinchen Princess S. (4:18 ET)

#1 Dr. D.F.C. 10/1
#2 Almighty Silver 7/2
#5 Good Law 2/1
#7 Naughty New Yorker 5/2

#1 Dr. D.F.C. adds blinkers today, and I thought this guy might give Wishful Tomcat trouble two back in the Alex Robb, but he was off poorly and was not a threat in a sixth place finish. Last out the seven year old did not show much in a fifth place finish against Alw-2 optional claimers. He is back with state breds here and on his best day he can be a factor in this spot. We'll give him one more shot in here if we catch most of his 10/1 ML.
#2 Almighty Silver made a good late rally and got up in the last jump to beat state bred starter allowance foes going a mile, his third win on the inner in 11 trips. The gelding comes in here very sharp and owns solid late pace numbers. There is not much early speed in here so the jock is going to need to keep him within striking distance early.



Wagering

WIN: #1 to win at 9/2 or better.
EX: 1,2 / 1,2,5,7
TRI: 1,2 / 1,2,5,7 / 1,2,4,5,7


Today's Featured Race of the Day from Gulfstream Park:

GP Race 10 Fountain of Youth S. G2 (5:40 ET)


#5 Jackson Bend 5/2
#3 Pulsion 12/1
#8 Eskendereya 5/1
#1 Aikenite 6/1


#5 Jackson Bend is coming off a solid effort last out in a runner up finish in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3), coming up ¾ of a length shy of my early Derby horse Winslow Homer, who is now off the Triple Crown Trail with an injury. Our top pick tracked a sharp early pace from the outside, was angled outside and made a good run to get on even terms at the eighth pole, but could not hold off the winner late. The colt was 3 ¼ lengths clear of the rest of the field. The colt swept the Florida Stallion Series of races at Calder last year while racking up a five for six record as a two year old. He has been working smartly with the only question mark being the added distance here.
#3 Pulsion makes his three year old debut and his first start on conventional dirt for trainer Patrick Biancone. The colt was the runner up in the Norfolk Stakes (G1) last October at Santa Anita, then had a troubled trip in a 11th place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). The colt drilled a bullet over the main track here on Feb. 16 for a dangerous barn. The 12/1 morning line looks generous enough to give this guy a good look in this spot.
#8 Eskendereya went gate to wire to beat first level allowance foes last out in his three year old debut. The colt showed some promise last year by winning the Pilgrim Stakes in his second career start. The colt had some trouble in his ninth place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. This guy can handle nine furlongs, by Giant’s Causeway out of the mare Aldebaran Light, who also dropped stakes winner Balmont ($473K).


Wagering

WIN: #5 to win at 5/2 or better.
EX: 3,5 / 1,3,5,8
TRI: 3,5 / 1,3,5,8 / 1,2,3,5,8


Live Longshots:

These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.


Aqueduct

R1: #6 Triple Glory 8/1
R5: #2 Early Response 15/1
R6: #5 Scorch the Torch 8/1
R7: #2 Full Tilt Noogie 12/1
R7: #3 Spencerific 10/1
R8: #8 Hubbard 20/1
R9: #1 Dr. D.F.C. 10/1
R10: #5 Solar Panel 8/1


Good luck today!

AQU 1st (Post time 12:30)

6 Furlongs | Open | 4 Year Olds And Up Claiming ($12,500) | Purse: $16,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 1 Fast Draw Lopez C C Smith David J 118 $12,500 L 8-1
2 2 King Bo Bo Serpa A Ortiz Paulino O 113 5 $12,500 L 2-1
3 3 Mr. Dr. Professor Lezcano A Alvarez Luis C 113 5 $12,500 Blk-On L 6-1
4 4 Sinister Storm Chavez J F Toscano John T Jr 118 $12,500 L 15-1
5 5 Senor Enrico Musarro J Persaud Randi 113 5 $12,500 L 30-1
6 6 Triple Glory Davis J A Barrera Oscar S Jr 120 $12,500 L 8-1
7 7 R Little Nugget Luzzi M J Levine Bruce N 118 $12,500 L 7-5

Exacta, Trifecta, Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (1-3), Daily Double Wagers

Brian Blessing's Pick's 6-3-2

Triple Glory scored a dominant win from off the pace and has to be considered a serious repeat win candidate in the opener.

Gulfstream Park Saturday

7th (4:07)
1 Mile (Turf) | Fillies | 3 Year Olds Allowance | Purse: $48,000

Prg. # PP Horse Jockey Trainer Wt. Claim $ Equip. Med. ML
1 8 Jersey Shore Girl Bravo J Sacco Richard W 120 Blk-Off L 5-1
1A 10 Hearted Gomez G K Tagg Barclay 124 L 5-1
2 1 Donamia Garcia L Alonso Enrique 113 7 L 30-1
3 2 Sun Pennies Lopez P Tagg Barclay 122 L 8-1
4 3 Lakeside Chapel Leparoux J R Alexander Frank A 124 L 10-1
5 4 Tres Leches Aguilar M Spatz Ronald B 120 L 6-1
6 5 Dreamed to Dream Trujillo E Pinchin Jose 124 L 15-1
7 6 Apple Charlotte Rose J Motion H Graham 120 L 5-2
8 7 For Terina Garcia J A Rosas-Canessa W 113 7 L 15-1
9 9 Itsagiantcauseway Velasquez C Vazquez Juan C 120 L 12-1
10 11 Crescenda Maragh R McDonald Michael K 120 L 12-1
11 12 Caminadora Prado E S Pletcher Todd A 120 L 4-1
12 MTO Future Heiress Velasquez C Arias Juan D 120 L 10-1

A-Coupled: Jersey Shore Girl and Hearted

Exacta / Trifecta / Superfecta / 10 Cent Superfecta / Daily Double (Races 7&8) Bet 3 (Races 7-8-9)

Battagliaspicks 3-7-1

#3 Sun Pennies- came through for us as our best bet breaking from the #10 post with only one sprint under her belt. She went right to the lead and her impressive turf breeding took her wire to wire to pay $26.40. She will keep improving and will show her skill today.

Santa Anita

4th (2:12)
6 1/2 Furlongs (All Weather Track) | Open | 3 Year Olds Starter Allowance | Purse: $22,000

Prg.na Valdez F S Cerin Vladimir 122 L 2-1
6 6 Ministers Altarboy Rosario J Sadler John W 119 L 4-1

$1 Exacta / $1 Trifecta $2 Rolling Double / $1 Pick Three (Races 4-5-6) $1 Superfecta (.10 Min.)

Battagliaspicks 6-5-1

#6 Ministers Altarboy- closed fast going this same distance at this same level last out. He is on the improve, Rosario takes the mount and they should get the money.

SA Race #9
Courtesy of Ellis Starr


#1 Hunch / #5 Bestdressed - Fair odds 5/2 (uncoupled entry)
#6 Ventana - Fair odds 5/2

Exacta: Box 1,5,6

I’m taking a stand against #3 Bob Black Jack, off for 14 months and having finished fifth and 3rd the last two times he came back from layoffs, and I’m taking a stand against Dancing in Silks, disappointing as the 4/5 favorite last out in a similar race following his Breeders’ Cup Sprint win, with no excuse and it just not worth the risk to endorse him today at low odds.

Hunch and Bestdressed both come from the barn of John Sadler and if we bet one we should bet the other, not trying to outguess this top trainer and hoping the higher odds entrant does the job. Hunch won the first two starts of his career and finished 5th of 13 in the opening day Malibu Stakes, and although he loses Bejarano to Supreme Summit he pucks up Talamo, who chooses to ride him over Ventana, who Joe just rode to a half length loss in the similar G2 Palos Verdes Stakes, making me think Sadler has this colt back on the beam, coming back from a rest and having earned both career wins when a fresh horse as he is today. Bestdressed returns to the distance he’s won twice at previously, including the On Trust Handicap in November, and having missed to Ventana by just a half length at a shorter distance last out he could take the necessary step forward to return to the winners’ circle today. Ventana ran this third “A” race in a row in the Palos Verdes, and with winner Kinsale King passing this event he could return to the form shown right before that on 12/27 when coming home on top with a strong 106 Equibase Speed Figure that he bettered to 110 in the Palos Verdes, that 110 being the best last race figure in the field (excluding Bob Black Jack’s 118 which came 14 months ago)

If you really want to get into Santa Anita racing I'll see you at 3pm et http://www.xpressbet.com/xbchat.aspx

There's some serious winning going on here!