Bettors looking to play Monday’s pick five will have to get through four consecutive maiden races in order to get to the cash-out leg, a $50,000 starter allowance scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf.
The late pick four sequence at Aqueduct today is playable, with a couple of price horses I could use as “A’s.” Let’s go after it.
I must admit that I'm not that enamored with Sunday's card. My goal is to get alive to #9 NORTH STAR BOY in today's seventh race. A 5-year-old gelding, North Star Boy recently gave a solid account of himself when in over his head against Wise Dan and company in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga. His rider that afternoon, Irad Ortiz Jr., did nothing wrong as he saved every inch of ground before finding a bit of traffic in upper stretch. Despite only winning once in 2014, North Star Boy has been good for most of the year. He gets a jockey switch to Sheldon Russell, who has combined with trainer Niall Saville for 12 wins from 41 starts (29 percent) and a $3.38 ROI over the past five years.
After beginning the Sunday card with a few short fields, the races at Churchill are refreshingly large over the final two thirds of the day – the benefit of fewer tracks racing in November compared to other times of the year.
New York-based trainer Christophe Clement sends out War Correspondent in Sunday’s Grade 2 Autumn, in which he figures to be lower than his 5-1 morning-line quote.
Two prime wagering opportunities Sunday at Del Mar are late in the card, races 7 and 8.
Horseplayers with an affinity for the turf-to-dirt angle will find ample opportunities throughout Sunday’s card, beginning with the opener, a $20,000 maiden claimer where no fewer than seven of the eight fillies and mares entered are coming off a grass race
After a noticeable outside flow on the main track the past three days, combined with a turf course that’s been in use for a grand total of three races so far this month and not at all since Wednesday, you’d have to be crazy to start off Saturday’s card with a 50-cent pick five play before seeing how things are playing.
In this piece, I’m supposed tell you what my strategy is for tackling Saturday’s card at Aqueduct, but aside from offering a couple of general ideas, this is a rare occasion where I’m simply unable to fulfill my mission. Why? Because of the way Aqueduct’s main track played the first three days of this racing week.
A 10-race card highlighted by the Grade 3 River City Handicap – one of the better stakes races across the country – comprises the day’s racing Saturday at Churchill Downs.
