The big weekend of racing is upon us at Colonial Downs, so I’m modifying my usual coverage of just the Friday and Saturday cards to include this Thursday to drum up some excitement for what’s ahead. Reminder of the unique nature of some of the Thursday Colonial cards where jump racing gets started bright and early at 10:45am, with the flat portion commencing with Race 4 at the usual 12:30pm first post. Unfortunately, the grass races were moved to dirt, throwing the card in disarray, but hopefully these updated opinions age well.
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Selections
- Races 1-3: No Picks (Jump)
- Race 4: 1-8-7-3
- Race 5: 8-5-3-1
- Race 6: 4-3-8-7
- Race 7: 1-7-5-2
- Race 8: 4-6-1-5
- Race 9: 5-9-7
- Race 10: 8-10-3-1
- Race 11: 7-2-4-8
Colonial Downs Race 5: Hot Cocoa (#8) at 7-5 or higher
VA-Restricted maiden claimers are sprinting on the dirt now here and I still believe Mary Lightner holds a strong hand in this spot. Tosca (#5) already has proven to have decent form on dirt and I feel the class relief will help her out as those races came against MSW company. However, it’s the Lightner barn’s other runner that excites me in this spot. Hot Cocoa (#8) broke from the far outside post in her debut and was forced to chase the pace three-wide around the far turn. Now she drops in from an open maiden special weight to a restricted maiden claimer and should have the speed to clear off on the front end. Furthermore, Lightner trainees often need a start, so I really can see her taking a step forward in her second career outing.
Colonial Downs Race 6: Golf Cart Ryder (#4) at 7-2 or higher
This maiden special weight for juveniles looks like a fun one as there’s some first-time starters for some high profile connections. Michael Stidham sends out Beekman Street (#6) for the powerhouse Godolphin operation who campaigned this colt’s dam Lady Montdore in a career that included a win in the G2-Glens Falls. Stidham is capable with first time starters, but I worry this colt will want more distance than the 5.5f he gets today and won’t appreciate the dirt. I’m going to key on the horses with experience in this event. Richeztoo (#8) is very logical in his second start after running well on the surface earlier this meet, but I’m hesitant to take a short price on this low percentage barn. I like Golf Cart Ryder (#4) quite a bit in this spot as he also makes his second start. This colt was bet on debut and had a nightmare journey that hopefully provided some needed experience as he was bumped at the start and found traffic mid-stretch. Trombetta trainees also usually improve with a start in hand. I’ll also note that Eleos (#3) is interesting for many of the same reasons as he also has a start under his belt. Though at comparable prices, I’d lean on the colt trained by Trombetta over the Munoz barn that’s been cold this meet.
#TheCheatSheet
2025 Summer Meet Statistics (thru 8/2)
All
Top Picks: 83-22-18-10 (27%, $1.62); Featured Horses: 27-4-5-6 (15%, $1.39)
Fair Odds Met
Top Picks: 46-7-12-6 (15%, $1.26); Featured Horses: 19-2-4-4 (11%, $1.31)
Grid
Percent of Races Won By: A’s: 42%; B’s: 37%; C’s: 18%; X’s: 2%
