Assiniboia's closing-day card features $300,000 carryover, mandatory payout
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There’s a mandatory payout of the Assiniboia Jackpot Pick 5 on Wednesday’s closing-day card. With a carryover of nearly $300,000, the total pool is expected to top $2 million on the 20-cent base wager.
The third race/opening leg seems wide open. Jockey Antonio Whitehall has chosen Best of Greeley over Tiz Lord, who is dropping off a cliff, which might be reason enough to conclude that Best of Greeley is the one to beat in the $3,000 claimer. The venerable 10-year-old is cheapening up off a wide fourth and $5,500 claim by a 30 percent trainer Steve Keplin, who has good stats off the claim.
Other third-race contenders include Mr. Dazzle, along with front-runners Cajun Berti and Anna’s Dream.
Those looking for a single in the sequence should consider fourth-race protagonist Explosive, who is debuting off another claim by leading trainer Keplin. Explosive is cutting back from 7 1/2 furlongs to six furlongs in the $3,000 claimer for nonwinners since April 8 and is a standout from a Beyer Speed Figure perspective. His tactical speed may come in handy in his first try under Shavon Townsend, who is 2 for 5 at the meet for the barn.
The fifth race is an open $3,000 claimer going a mile with a field of 12. Perhaps the most competitive event on the card, it includes Nautical Moon and Charming Charlie, who ran one-two in an identical spot last week.
McEwen would be dangerous on a repeat of his overdue tally Sept. 30, when he wired a field of $4,000 conditioned opponents going seven furlongs with a 64 Beyer, the highest last-out figure in the lineup.
The secondary contenders include the speedy Prairie Drifter from his beneficial rail draw and Shamayim, who had a wide journey when fourth behind McEwen on Sept. 30. Damario Bynoe retains the mount on Shamayim for second-leading trainer Michael Nault, and they are a combined 17 for 32 at the meet.
The nominal feature is the sixth, an open $7,500 claimer traveling 7 1/2 furlongs. It can probably be pared down to Cajun Eddie and Magic Tiger, both of whom are getting some class relief.
Cajun Eddie won his penultimate race going 1 1/16 miles at the same level while claimed and is coming off a bit of a troubled third in an allowance/optional claimer. Trainer Tom Gardipy Jr. is 6 for 53 (11 percent) second time off a claim over the past five years, with a return in investment of $1.01, numbers that aren’t exactly overwhelming.
Magic Tiger, a 13-time winner from 46 starts, is looking to end a drought as he continues his slide down the value ladder. It was just more than a year ago when the 7-year-old recorded his last win in the Gold Cup Stakes. Bynoe takes over, and the leading rider is 14 for 61 at the meet for trainer Wendy Anderson.
The nightcap could be won by the speedy Track Robber, who fits nicely in the $10,000 nonwinners-of-three claimer off a victory over nonwinners-of-two allowance stock. Flying Tex is descending to an inviting spot and should be a factor. The wild card is a fresh new face, In Vronsky Style, who can fire fresh, but his new trainer has mediocre numbers with similar comebackers.
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