Need to get your head in the game before Saratoga and Del Mar’s opening day come knocking? Play at Presque Isle Downs, 8 races over the beautiful black tapeta surface that will entertain your midweek evening. I knocked out half the card Tuesday, including the late double, so I’m going to try and keep momentum up with this Wednesday card.
All times EDT
RACE 1 – 6 furlongs, Maiden Claiming $7,500 Post Time: 3:30 p.m
A tough maiden race to open the card. It’s usually telling that a runner has been outclassed when a horse finally drops from the protected Maiden Special Weights to the claiming ranks, leading me to go with Ipledthefifth (#6) to get the win here. This gelding also gets an advantageous jockey change to Antonio Gallardo. I expect Alabama Sleeper (#4) to look a touch more professional after a fractious loading experience last time out where he tossed rider Gaddiel Martinez. He did show a bit of interest early after finally getting the rider back on and the gates open, but I would bet that loading experience burned out a lot of energy. The fact Martinez is willing to climb back aboard is a good signal to me that this horse could be ready to fire. Tinseltown (#2) is a horse I want to avoid here, as Gallardo takes his tack elsewhere and this horse’s pedigree is screaming for more ground. The consistent works of first-time starter Talkin Tough (#7) make me think this horse could get up for third on debut, coming from the barn of the meet’s leading trainer Kevin Rice.
Race 1 selections:6-4-7-2
RACE 2 – Claiming $12,500 Post Time: 3:57
I think this pace is ripe to fall apart here, setting things up nicely for late-running Hightail Fox (#5) to have a good run, though Michael Pappada has low percentages winning with horses running for his barn off the claim. Expresso Bay (#3) seems the likeliest to stay on of the front-end types, and Brandon Kulp is winning sprints at a 29% clip, an excellent percentage to be firing at. Linda Rice brings out Epic Summer (#6) to run the shortest distance he’s ever gone in his 7-start career. I don’t want to outright bet this horse but I don’t want to shortchange it either. Considering he broke his maiden going 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt and never returned to a shorter distance until now, he could be worth the 3-1 morning line.
Race 2 selections:5-3-6
RACE 3 – 1 mile 70 yards, Maiden Special Weight Post Time: 4:24
A very tough maiden field with Eoin G Harty swinging by for some Wednesday racing. I’m going to try to beat his horses with Jorge Delgado’s runner Guitarist (#2), who has a start on the Gulfstream tapeta course and just needs to run like he has been to get the win, with his three starts this year cataloging a Beyer Speed Figure no lower than 64. War Profiteer (#3) also has my attention, coming in a dead heat for second place last time out in the race Missionattheglen scored his maiden win in.
Race 3 selections:2-3
RACE 4 – 1 mile 70 yards, Claiming $25,000 Post Time: 4:51
Diver (#3) made the jump to this level and remained competitive, turning a 69 BSF last time out in a narrow second place loss. Hopefully he can break through after finishing second in all three tries at this distance. I can’t wrap my head around why Maximum Faith (#6) is so wide on the morning line at 10-1. This gelding by Maximum Security has excellent speed figures and has proven himself at this level and that’s not even counting a great workout on July 3rd going a half-mile in 46 seconds. Lets Get It On (#2) turned a career-low speed fig last time out, and I don’t see this horse regressing again while also retaining Gaddiel Martinez in the saddle.
Race 4 selections:3-6-2
RACE 5 – 6 furlongs, Claiming $5,000 Post Time: 5:18
Blazing Bo (#4) at 9-2 is a wild price that I’d key into with this morning line. I know that no two tapeta tracks are the same but this horse has gotten it done at the all-weather course at Canada’s Woodbine Race Track and her synthetic skills should translate nicely south of the border here. When you look at his records over this distance, 2 wins and a second in 4 starts, it really hammers it home that this horse could drop in here and destroy this field. The favorite Sydney Street (GB) (#6) was in a heavy class drop last time out and still only managed second. Trainer Katy Cheeks hasn’t scored a win yet this meet, and while I hope she finds the winners circle eventually, I’m against her here. There might be some value here with the wide-drawn Ibrim (#8) coming out of the red-hot Scooter Davis barn. Israel Rodriguez has let the top pair of Martinez and Gallardo get away from him the last two weeks, but he’s still the meet’s No.3 jock in terms of wins. This son of Cairo Prince is still turning in bullet works like he knows what to do, but hasn’t seen that translate to racing well.
Race 5 selections:4-8-6
RACE 6 – 6 furlongs, Allowance Post Time: 5:45
Heaven knows I don’t yet have an insight as to why the Erie tapeta plays the way it does. I certainly have theories as to why, but sometimes it’s best just to shake your head and pray that what was true the day before is still true today. This reasoning is why I’m going against Reteko (#3), as this track has been crushing front-end horses who want to take fields gate-to-wire. Span Of Control (#4) feels much more likely in this spot, with a nose for the wire and back-to-back wins, but he loses jockey Victor Severino. Walber Alencar is no slouch, though, and I trust him to guide this horse to a third consecutive victory. I still think it would be wise to use Reteko (#3) especially in multirace wagers, given that, as I type this, the track could be completely different for the Wednesday card. Disposable Income (#7) faces winners for the first time, and is still working well with a half-mile worked in 48.2 seconds last week. This horse could be a monster in the making for Juan Arrigada’s stable.
Race 6 selections:4-3-7
RACE 7 – 6 furlongs, Claiming $12,500 Post Time: 6:12
The class-dropping Bindi (#7) should find this field to be more to her liking after a distant second place finish last time out in a $25k claimer. There is some semblance of tactical speed as she was able to pass horses in her last start, albeit that might not indicate much seeing as she was defeated by over 6 lengths. Sweet Carol James (#4) should be competitive in this spot after turning the two best speed figures of her career in her last two starts and getting Gaddiel Martinez in the irons. Pedital (#8) is another horse taking a step down in claiming tag, and Martina Rojas has been tearing up the tapeta these past few weeks, so I wouldn’t count this horse out.
Race 7 selections:7-4-8
RACE 8 – 1 mile 70 yards, Claiming $6,250 Post Time: 6:39
Blake Kelly’s Total Bliss (#7) has always come off a layoff a step behind, and she comes out of a May race at Laurel Park won by Don’t Tell Kelly, a horse that won again on Monday. I expect this 7-year-old mare to look more like herself in this spot, and Edwin Gonzales has made his rides at Presque Isle count. Lucy Playa (#5) promises to be the early speed but, as I’ve said, if this track plays the way it did Tuesday she won’t stick on the front end to win. Even though Moise Valdez only has 1 win in 43 starts at Presque Isle, I think I can trust him to have Joys Of Summer (#3) run much improved with the tag drop.
Race 8 selections:7-5-3
In the jocks race, Antonio Gallardo did indeed have a big day with 5 in-the-money finishes, but only a single win. Gaddiel Martinez also only scored a single win today, leaving the gap between first and second the same as yesterday. Martina Rojas continues to impress with another multiple-win day. Rojas is the jockey to watch right now as she continues to ride exceptionally well. Conditioner Kevin Rice picked up two wins to Scooter Davis’s single victory, giving Rice the slight edge in the tight fight for the training title. I hope to see you next week for more Presque Isle Downs racing!
