Gierkink: Woodbine Horses to Watch for week of Nov. 16
Gierkink: Woodbine Horses to Watch for week of Nov. 16
Ron GierkinkNov 17, 2015
Gierkink: Woodbine Horses to Watch for week of Nov. 16
Brad Free's horses to watch at Del Mar for the week of Nov. 16.
Trip Notes for November 14: Red Smith Handicap, Mrs. Revere, Bob Hope by Michael Hammersly.
Saturday was an interesting day, largely due to victories from three horses who might make some significant noise in 2016.
Trainer Alan Goldberg saddles Paddle Board (#7, ML 20-1) in Sunday's eighth race at Woodbine, the seven-furlong Bessarabian Stakes on the all-weather track. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Goldberg is winning at a 35 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from route to sprint, for a return on investment of $4.11. Check out the Positive ROI report as part of DRF Plus. Sign up for DRF Plus here.
Skill Not Luck (#4, 6-1) returns in Saturday's sixth race at Aqueduct, a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claimer on turf. It will be his first start since finishing second by 1 1/4 lengths in a claiming race Sept. 23 at Belmont Park. The first-, third-, and fifth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts. Get the Key Race report as part of DRF Plus. Sign up for DRF Plus here.
A pair of competitive races scheduled for turf bookend a pick three play in the middle of Aqueduct’s Sunday program.
Sunday’s card at Del Mar doesn’t whet the appetite in a major way, but there are a few interesting opportunities for horseplayers. I’ll look to play a midcard daily double as well as the Sunday feature, the Desi Arnaz Stakes.
Maybe, just maybe, the Saturday card at Del Mar includes one logical horse on whom to make a reasonable gamble.
Trainer Brian Michael saddles Six Spot (#6, ML 10-1) in Friday's fourth race at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/8-mile claiming race on turf. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Michael is winning at a 26 percent clip in route races, for a return on investment of $3.98. Check out the Positive ROI report as part of DRF Plus. Sign up for DRF Plus here.