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Horse Racing Picks - August 30, 2008Summer is winding down and with it the racing seasons at Saratoga and Del Mar. The racing landscape with change next week with the opening of Belmont's fall championship meet and the annual switch in southern California to the Fairplex meet of the state fair association. Today, reigning Horse of the Year "Curlin" will make his first Saratoga start ever in the $500,000 "Woodward" stakes (G1) facing off against seven rivals at the distance of 1 1/4 miles. The race is the 10th on an 11 race card with an approximate post time of 5:45 p.m. (EST). Today we have a total of five races from Saratoga for analysis and selections. Today's Best Bet is #5 Rollers in Race #3 from Saratoga. Friday's Results: Saratoga Race #3 Ex. (7-4) $51.00. Saratoga Race #6 Ex. (9-8) $19.80. Saratoga Race #7 Top Pick #2 (Bittel Road) $4.20. Today's Horse Racing Picks: Top pick: #5 (STORM HARBOR) - Son of "Giant's Causeway" has shown good speed in his last pair with the addition of blinkers. Should be approaching his best and Coa is enlisted for the first time. 2nd pick: #4 (Whitley) - Scratched out of a sprint the other day to await this spot. Colt ships in from Arlington for a crafty trainer (Rusty Arnold) and ran well in his first grass race before shipping. 3rd pick: #6 (Sol a Pino) - Set the pace in a longer race here on August 6, after shipping from Arlington and receiving a six-week rest. Best races are from a stalking position and he's a strong late factor. 4th pick: #8 (Sharif al Medina) - Colt has ben freshened up for the past 2 1/2 months by trainer Angel Penna Jr. Ran big in his first turf race and Penna is great off these short breaks (40%). SARATOGA Race #3 at 2:00 PM Eastern Top pick: #5 (ROLLERS) - Easiest kind of win last out in his second back from a layoff. Expensive New York-bred ($500,000) has always displayed big talent and he looks headed into stakes competition shortly. Makes it two in a row today. Ability to rate a bit makes the difference. 2nd pick: #2 (Benny the Waiter) - Sharp win over the top pick on July 26, when Coa out-rode Dominguez. Race was by far his best ever and he's worked sharply since. Draws the rail and has plenty of speed. 3rd pick: #1a (Endless Circle) - Raced head-and-head with a talent runner (Ferocious Fire) last out and stayed with him until late stretch when he tired from his early effort. Draws a nice post from which to stalk from. SARATOGA Race #4 at 2:30 PM Eastern Top pick: #8 (T.J'S POSSE) - Ships from Delaware for a sharp barn (Mike Trombetta). Well-bred colt finished a fast-closing third that day in his first race since last October. Highly regarded last year, he is well set up today for a strong try. 2nd pick: #4 (Chief Talkeetna) - Pulled away from lesser last out in his first race in 20 months. Claimed that day by Wesley Ward, he is lightly raced and could easily have more improvement in him. Probable favorite; will be plenty tough. 3rd pick: #5 (Defreeroftheheart) - Ran a poor race last out fresh off an Enrique Arroyo claim. Appeared to be heading in the right direction at that time and trainer ususually improves his buys. Should be in the exotics at a square price. 4th pick: #9 (Farleyonwheels) - Makes his first start since last December at Aqueduct. Claimed that day by Richard Dutrow, he returns nine months later at half of the purchase price. Trainer has won off of similar layoffs in the past, but task is a difficult one. SARATOGA Race #6 at 3:35 PM Eastern Top pick: #4 (WESTERN FABLE) - Stretches-out to a distance off a good sprint try in his racing debut on July 30. Bet to favoritism that day, he raced between runners much of the way and finished an even and close-up fourth. He has a very sharp work on August 22, and he's the choice for the win. 2nd pick: #2 (French Action) - Firster will debut for the Todd Plertcher barn and he has a very good turf work showing on August 1. Stable's main jock, Johnny V. is aboard. 3rd pick: #10 (The Cuff Shooter) - Didn't run a lick in his debut at Belmont on July 10, on a muddy track. Has a strong series of turf works for this and his sire, "Western Expression" is great with his grass runners. Could improve at a big price. 4th pick: #1 (Trieste Doble Q) - Bet well in a muddy track debut on August 11, gelding raced wide and never factored. He has a quick grass drill showing on August 22 and could quickly turn things around with a switch to the infield. SARATOGA Race #10 (THE WOODWARD STAKES) at 5:45 PM Eastern Top pick: #5 (CURLIN) - The reigning "Horse of the Year" will make his Saratoga debut today after training here the past two seasons but not starting on this famous surface. He's been just awesome since coming back from a two month break last year when he won the "Jockey Club Gold Cup" (G1) at Belmont. Undefeated until his recent second place finish to a world-class runner in "Red Rocks" in his grass debut, he's training in superb fashion for this important event. Unlike "Big Brown" who beat a very watered-down field in the "Haskell" at Monmouth, this stake is loaded with quality runners. He'll have to earn it, but I've always thought of him as something special. 2nd pick: #4 (Divine Park) - Lightly raced and talented, he was visually impressive in winning both the "Weschester" hdcp. (G3) and the "Metropolitan" hdcp. (G1) at Belmont earlier this year. Freshened up since and working well for a trainer (Kiaran McLaughlin) seeking to win his first Saratoga trainer's title. The main danger. 3rd pick: #8 (Wanderin Boy) - The main speed, like his more accomplished barn-mate, "Commentator", he is still going strong at an advanced age (7). Comes off a smashing win going seven-furlongs and has trained great since. Must be caught. 4th pick: #1 (A.P.Arrow) - He's slipped a bit over the past year and maybe the expedition to the mid-east took it's toll on him. Draws the rail, loves this track (4-2-1-0), and this particular distance has always been his best (13-4-2-3). Could factor in the exotics with Pletcher at a price. Horse Racing Picks Resources:
Check out the last five Horse Racing Picks Newsletters: Horse-Racing-Picks-August-29-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-August-28-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-August-27-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-August-26-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-August-25-2008 |
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