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Handicapping Preakness - December 23, 2008A reminder that we will not be publishing a Racing Newsletter tomorrow or on Christmas Day. We will resume on Friday as Aqueduct re-opens after it's Holiday break and Santa Anita opens it's big winter meet. We hope that everyone has a safe and happy Christmas Day with many future winners under the tree. Today's Newsletter will feature five races from the "Sunshine" State, with four from Tampa Bay Downs, and a single contest from Calder. Today's Best Bet is #1 Special Tiger in Race #8 at Tampa Bay Downs.  Today's Horse Racing Picks: Top pick: #2 (BONTEMPI) - Has a new trainer (Derek Ryan) and he drops this New York-bred off a pair of wins against state-breds, as he'll face "open" company today. Sharply improved in the fall and he still hasn't reached his potential. The pick. 2nd pick: #1 (Divine Wonder) - Draws the rail and he's raced well in all his turf races for a sharp barn (Duane Knipe). Inside draw and his positional speed should have him in this at the wire. 3rd pick: #7 (Sir Blitz) - Drops for this and will be returning off a layoff. He's faced much tougher all year at Woodbine, and if ready off the rest, he's a contender here. 4th pick: #10 (Phoenix Heat) - Poor post will hurt his chances as he doesn't have any speed to speak of. Nice race last out at Laurel, but the pace was unusually fast for the distance. Drops a bit, but still needs some pace help. CALDER Race #8 at 3:40 PM Eastern Top pick: #3 (OFFICER'S GENTLEMAN) - Colt won impressively last out and enters this on an upward form spiral. Trainer Leo Azpurua's runners stay sharp once in shape. Distance and level are fine and he's the choice for the win. 2nd pick: #9 (Black Spot) - Outside post should lead to a comfortable spot as long as he breaks cleanly. Likes to race about 3-5 lengths from the top and the pace here could be fast/contested. 3rd pick: #1 (A P Eddie) - He finished a nice third last out in his first off a sizeable layoff. Blinkers will go on today so trainer (Fred Warren) thinks he's sharp enough for a shot at the win. TAMPA BAY DOWNS Race #8 at 3:40 PM Eastern Top pick: #1 (SPECIAL TIGER) - Draws the rail and comes into this very sharp (having won or placed in his last eight starts). Good barn (Gerald Bennett) has a quartet of works in him for this effort. The horse to beat. 2nd pick: #3 (Blazing Prize) - Finished secibd six weeks ago at Mountaineer Park and has been freshened-up since by a fine trainer (Ron Allen). Runner had a pair of sharp efforts at Pinacle Downs in Detroit prior to the West Virginia race. 3rd pick: #6 (Broken Engagement) - Comes here from Canada (Woodbine) in good shape and will be making his second start off a John Simm's claim. Has a nice work here, so it looks like he'll handle the dirt. TAMPA BAY DOWNS Race #9 at 4:05 PM Eastern Top pick: #1 (STRAIGHT COUNT) - Sharp Chicago invader has two wins and three close in-the-money finishes in his last five races. Drops a bit in class and he draws the hedge. The horse to catch and beat. 2nd pick: #8 (Djeddah) - Tries winners after breaking his maiden at Hawthorne for a sharp barn (Tony Granitz). Late runner should receive a fast/contested pace to close into. 3rd pick: #4 (Mashala) - Beat a rather "poor" field at the Meadowlands to break his maiden, but he looked good doing it. On the shelf since, he moves to the grass and is a contender for the exotics. 4th pick: #3 (Kickin'Up Sand) - Returns from a rather long stint on the sidelines. Won twice earlier this year off layoffs and his form has not been good since. Working adequately for a good barn. TAMPA BAY DOWNS Race #10 at 4:30 PM Eastern Top pick: #9 (GOLDZAR) - Gelding showed very good speed in Kentucky, coming to the stretch with the lead, but unable to hold on. Those fields were tougher than he faces here, and he should lead this group from gate to wire. 2nd pick: #4 (El Supremo) - Sharp barn (Gerald Bennett) sends out runner fresh off a 10-week freshening. He tired last out as the favorite going a distance. Working well, shortens-up in yardage, and drops in class. Win threat. 3rd pick: #6 (Cashenclosed) - First-timer by "Malabar Gold" has some better than average works on view and has a pair of "siblings" that both won early in their careers. 4th pick: #10 (Soothing Wind) - Returns off a two-month layoff. When last seen, he was finishing a close second at Mountaineer Park. He did well here last year and probably has been pointed for this. Horse Racing Picks Resources:
Check out the last five Horse Racing Picks Newsletters: Horse-Racing-Picks-December-22-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-December-21-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-December-20-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-December-19-2008 Horse-Racing-Picks-December-18-2008 |
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