Despite Hand of Power being the more visually striking of the two last out, it is Formal Summation who seems the better wager in the Pasco Stakes on Saturday at Tampa. His most-recent race came against a far better group than the suspect maidens handled by Hand of Power, and Formal Summation's overall body of work is superior.
All stakes races, except those where I have come upon a live longshot, should be run to the same form as the two from last week, with Mo Tom winning the Lecomte at Fair Grounds and Mexikoma winning the Sunshine Millions Classic at Gulfstream.
Brad Free's horses to watch at Santa Anita for the week of Jan. 20.
Dave Litfin's horses to watch at Aqueduct for the week of Jan. 18.
Trip Notes for January 16: Col. E.R. Bradley, Lecomte, and La Canada by Michael Hammersly.
DRF handicapper Mary Rampellini outlines strategy for a pick three play on Monday's program at Oaklawn Park.
DRF handicapper Byron King outlines his strategy for a pick three on Monday's program at Gulfstream Park.
I didn’t vote for every single winner announced at the Eclipse Awards ceremony Saturday evening. I diverged from popular opinion in three of the 17 equine and human categories I was able to vote for, but I don’t have a real gripe about any of Saturday night’s winners, with the exception of La Verdad.
Working on the assumption that rain Saturday night and Sunday morning will force all races off the grass for the 11-race Sunday card, I’ll start with an early pick three play using likely main-track winners in the first three races.
The late pick four at Gulfstream Park on Sunshine Millions Saturday is a solid sequence with three stakes races and a wide-open maiden special weight for 3-year-old dirt sprinters.
