Weekend Warrior: Picks for Elkhorn Stakes, Charles Town Classic, Roar Stakes for April 20, 2019

With the conclusion of the Kentucky Derby prep season last weekend, fans and handicappers are now forced to anxiously wait for the time to pass until the first Saturday in May. While these next two weeks may feel like an eternity, horseplayers can pass the time with solid stakes action across the country, particularly this upcoming weekend. Charles Town has its main event, the Charles Town Classic, and there’s always quality racing when Keeneland is in action. Add in a 3-year-old stakes race from Gulfstream, and you’ve got the recipe for a solid weekend of racing.

Elkhorn Stakes

It may be a case of his best days being behind him, but Bigger Picture is still plenty capable of firing a big shot from time to time. The effort this Mike Maker trainee produced two starts back in the John B. Connally at Sam Houston was visually impressive, and there’s reason to excuse his dull effort most recently at Gulfstream in the Pan American.

Since being claimed by Maker at the end of 2015, Bigger Picture has run over the Gulfstream turf course on three occasions, resulting in a solid fourth-place finish in 2016 and two dismal efforts in 2018 and 2019. The grass course at Gulfstream may not be to Bigger Picture’s liking, and while he’s winless at Keeneland (3-0-1-2), he has run well in each of those starts.

With a decent amount of pace entered in the Elkhorn, Bigger Picture should have every opportunity to prove he’s still got what it takes to win races of this caliber.

Charles Town Classic

The Charles Town Classic is always a bit of a guessing game, given the fact it is contested over a bullring configuration that many of these runners have never run over and will never run over again (unless they come back for this race again next year).

Outside of the proven commodities over the track (Imperative, Something Awesome, Runnin’toluvya, and War Story), the horse I’m most interested in is Southern California invader Mongolian Groom.

He has only two wins to his name through nine starts, but he undoubtedly gets significant class relief on Saturday after running a game third in the Santa Anita Handicap just two weeks ago. While no match for the likes of Gift Box and McKinzie, Mongolian Groom earned career best figures of 97 Beyer Speed Figure/124 TimeformUS. It’s also worth noting the fourth-place finisher in the Big Cap returned to win last Sunday’s Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita, earning a 95 Beyer.

If Mongolian Groom can handle the track and configuration at Charles Town while retaining his form, he should be viewed as a major contender.

Roar Stakes

After unsuccessfully trying the road to the Kentucky Derby, Garter and Tie will revert to what he’s done best throughout his career: race at a one-turn configuration.

Trained by Ralph Nicks, Garter and Tie ran in the Florida Derby and Holy Bull in his two most recent starts, races that are both too long and too tough for him. Prior to those two efforts, the son of Brooks ‘n Down was a solid third in the Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 5 and won the Smooth Air on Dec. 8 – both races going one turn.

The effort he put forth in the Mucho Macho Man is better than it looks on paper, as he was shuffled back behind runners down the backside and was again forced to wait behind horses rounding the far turn before weaving through traffic and finishing willingly. Class relief and a return to the type of racing Garter and Tie wants should result in a solid effort Saturday.