Free: Cross-country plays for Friday, April 17, 2020
A double-digit longshot is worth backing in a stakes race Friday at Oaklawn Park, a well-publicized 2-year-old will debut at low odds at Gulfstream Park, and a middle-odds maiden seeks an upset in her second career start at Tampa Bay Downs. Diving in:
TAM, race 2 (12:52 ET) – Program favorite Freedom Lass (#8) is not reliable in this $40k maiden-claiming sprint. Unraced since fall, her one decent race was on wet. Meanwhile, the recent fourth-place debut by Timeless Di (1) was solid. She veered out at the start, uncorked a middle move, and went evenly. The past five years, trainer Tom Proctor is a wild 7 for 12 second time out in maiden-claiming dirt sprints. Timeless Di is listed at 6-1.
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GP, race 2 (1:34 ET) – Free bingo square with 2-year-old Golden Pal (7). His turf work April 11 was freaky (viewed on XBTV.com), and though his pedigree leans toward turf, Uncle Mo progeny are fine on dirt. Program odds of 7-5 is fantasy, odds-on is likely. Take the short price or pass the race, but would not wager against Golden Pal.
OP, race 8 (4:38 CT) – Mojovation (5) improved a ton first start off the claim and was a rally-wide runner-up in a race won by the rail-skimming pacesetter. It’s been six weeks, time to build back up to another top effort. Doubt that Mojovation will start at his 10-1 program odds off his big figure, half that price would be okay. The versatile Mojovation can mow them down for the productive trainer-jockey combo of John Sadler and Orland Mojica.
GP, race 10 (5:47 ET) – First-time turf Cowtown (3) was produced by a dam whose two wins were on turf. Though it is tough to find value on a Todd Pletcher trainee, maidens moving to grass is an exception – 25 percent wins past five years, flat-bet profit. Cowtown is listed at 5-1, dropping from special-weight to $62,500 maiden-claiming.
OP, race 9 (5:09 CT) – Front-running favorite Zaino Boyz (10) will be tough in this statebred stakes race for 3-year-olds, and second-start-back Man in the Can (7) figures as a contender. Those two are obvious, while a live longshot might slip through the cracks.
Implicator (4) has improved each subsequent start. Last time out in a maiden route, he unleashed an extended move from the five-eighths to the wire and finished second. Now he is back to a sprint. He would not be the first maiden to win this stakes (Rainbow Holler paid $46.80 breaking his maiden in this race in 2011).
Implicator, listed at 12-1, needs pace to flatter his route-to-sprint rally. If he gets it, bombs away. Would bet to win, and exactas under Zaino Boyz and Man in the Can.