Woodbine Mohawk Park: Thursday 4/18 Analysis
Best Bet: OLLIESTRIKESFAME (7th)
Spot Play: GRAND POOBAH (8th)
Race 1 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Five Pool
Race 4 - $50,000 Guaranteed Pick Four Pool
Pick 5 - 2,6/1,4,5/2,3,4/1,6/1,2,8 = $21.60
Early Pick 4: 1,6,10/1,2,8/4,6,8/5 = $27
Late Pick 4: 5/3,6,7/1,6/3,4,7 = $18
MEET STATS: 266 - 855 / $1,559.50 (-$150.50)
BEST BETS: 36 - 78 / $123.10 (-$32.90)
SPOT PLAYS: 18 - 79 / $132.10 (-$25.90)
Race 1
(6) SILVER BEAST was a professional debut winner as a big favorite and there only appears to be one main rival to worry about here; top call. (2) BEATINGTHEODDS took a tour of the London half-mile oval after missing a month and he has displayed speed and talent on more than one occasion so far. He should be the main threat to the choice. (7) LUCKY LEVIS and (8) J M MANDAMIN both figure to be passing horses late and they could be your 3-4 finishers in the first Super of the night.
Race 2
(1) TRAVEL WINNER gets McNair back for a second drive after just missing to a game and stubborn leader last time. They get the nod here. (5) KNOPFLER continues to race well as he was second to a repeat winner last week; using. (4) ALL WRAPPED UP is interesting coming off a break and he could be the one to catch here following a sharp qualifier. He's hard to leave off the Pick 5 ticket in this spot. (3) JUST A TAD is showing some improvement and he can sneak into the exotics picture here.
Race 3
(3) BETTER MOONON OVER - with a mark of 1:52 4/5 at two - looks primed for a good sophomore debut effort here and I'll give him the slight nod over (2) CRUISE CAPTAIN, who got a start in vs. repeat winner Capitano Italiano last week. (4) SURPRISING CREDIT has turned up his game in the past two starts and he's not out of this. (5) SPORTS HERO - stablemate to the choice - is worth a look for use on the bottom of Tris and Supers in this spot.
Race 4
(6) KICKIN COWGIRL gets one of the best posts here and if she's put into play earlier, she can beat these. (1) SUNSHINEATTHEBEACH is getting closer, and she likely won\t be held off for much longer. (10) SAUBLE DELIGHTFUL may have slowed the pace too much last time, as the pocket-sitter was loaded and drove by in the last few strides. She isn't out of this and her price is sure to climb. (7) LADY MAYA is showing some signs of improvement in her qualifiers; consider for exotics.
Race 5
(1) FAMILY SPORTS is one I landed on purely on the drop into a claimer here. His qualifiers look solid enough that he should be competitive with these immediately. (2) HEZA BIG DEALER is sneaky to me here and Cullen has been great driving closers at this meet; using. (8) L WEATHER B was solid in victory last week and he may go off chalk here. He's hard to leave out off that sharp win. (9) BRANDON HANOVER goes for three straight but he leaves Auciello's barn. I have mixed feelings with this one.
Race 6
(6) SPEEDY DUNCAN was decent in his sophomore debut, chasing one that came right back to win again a week later. He gets the nod here over (4) TYMAL TULLO, who was raced ambitiously last season and should come out swinging vs. these. (8) MAGICAL JOURNEY comes in off a sharp qualifying win and I'll use him in this Pick 4. (7) FINAL ANGEL is a 1/2-sister to the good local trotter Totally Ripped. Consider as a price option for the exotics here.
Race 7
(5) OLLIESTRIKESFAME lands in a spot where he should be prominent throughout. I look for J Mac to send him vs. these. (7) KAZIMOTO raced okay in a quick race and he rates highly in here. (6) JAYDENS PLACE hasn't won a race in a long time, but with the barn switch to Moreau, he's in the mix here. (4) NOTETOSELF HANOVER should finish on the fringes again here; using underneath.
Race 8
(6) GRAND POOBAH finished with pace after taking a shuffle last week and he looks to have a solid chance in here if he can work out a better trip. (7) BALDER SON was narrowly beaten by a highly-touted colt in his April 11th qualifier and he is worth using in this late Pick 4. (3) PRINCE ADAIR was winning in 1:57 4/5 over a track rated two seconds slow in December in the Maritimes, an obvious sign that he has the speed and talent to compete here; using. (4) GENESSEE SEELSTER can hang around for another small share here.
Race 9
(6) MOHAWK SEELSTER was the $220K sales topper at the 2017 London Select sale but he did not start at two. This is a good spot to launch his career though and he gets my nod over (1) JOE MCDUDE who comes off a sharp sophomore debut effort and he should be the choice's main rival here. (7) BIG BULLY can rally for a slice in this spot. (4) KEYSTONE PRESTIGE was winless at two but he's worth a look here adding Lasix for his three-year-old debut.
Race 10
(4) LADY FINETUNE gets Roy back here and they are 1-for-1 as a team. I'll land here in a race where I don't love any of them. (3) RED RIVER JANE should go better starting from the inside in this spot; using. (7) MEDICI HANOVER barely makes the conditions of this race and she should be heard from early; using. (9) FIERY BEAUTY stole a 1:01 4/5 middle 1/2 last week on route to a narrow win. She's in the mix again, but from this post, I'll try to beat her. (2) SO FRISKY is another in with a shot in a race full of possibilities.