It's another Tuesday in February, which means it's another day to grind it out, parimutuelly speaking: there are limited tracks running today, and the races that are carded are not exactly going to remind anyone of the Arlington Million.
But that's OK, for two reasons: one is that we can always find some races to bet: There are a few very playable races at our Tuesday standbys, Sunland Park in New Mexico and Turf Paradise in Phoenix. The other reason is that this is the last Tuesday in February, and that means that the end of the winter doldrums is not too far away.
We like the early sequence today at Sunland: races 1-4 are all dirt sprints. Here's the rundown:
Race 1 is a 5-furlong, conditioned $5,000 claimer for older horses who have won only a maiden race. We like 7-Commanchero Spring, on top at 6-1, but there are several other logical contenders: 1-Creative Hit, 4-Gallopingguinness, and 6-Pack 'n Gold.
The 2nd is a Maiden Special at 6 furlongs for New Mexico-bred three-year-olds. 1-Daux, who finished second by a head at this level on January 26, is a strong pick: He looks to have a significant edge on this field in the speed figure department. He's 2-1 on the morning line, but will likely be a shorter price at post time.
Race 3 is a conditioned 6 1/2 furlong, $7,500 claimer for horses 3-and-older. Our top choice is the speedy 7-Ghostly Who; and we think that 1- Livin on Prayer, and 5-Tiza Roll, have chances.
Race 4 is for $6,250, New Mexico-bred claimers. at 5 furlongs. 6-Dani's Choice, is our pick on top, and 2-One Key, is our second choice..
Post time for race 1 is 2:50 pm Eastern, and then each race follows roughly 25 minutes later.
We'll have a little fun today with a Pick 4 ticket, as follows:
Race 1: 1, 4, 6, 7. Race 2: 1. Race 3: 1, 5, 7. Race 4: 2,6. That's a $24 ticket.
The 6th at Sunland is a 6-furlong Maiden Special for three-year-olds. We like 2-Callmemajestic. This horse ships in from Turf Paradise, and get the ultimate equipment change: He's a first-time gelding. We think he goes right to the front and doesn't look back. We'll bet $10 at 3-1 on Callmemajestic.
Race 8 at Sunland is a 6-furlong allowance for three-year-old New Mexico-breds. There is a strong play here: 2-Storm Bayou has the best last-race Beyer, and is a go -- he's 3-1, and we'll bet $25 on him to win.
We have one play at Turf Paradise, and that's in the 4th race, which goes to post at 4.:21 pm Eastern. It's a 6-furlong allowance race for horses 3-and-up, and we like 5-Maxx Effort: there's a lot of speed in this race, and Maxx Effort gets the good fortune of drawing outside of it. We think he can stalk, let the pacesetters exhaust themselves, and take over in the stretch. This is something he's done before; he's 6-1, so we'll bet $15 to win on Maxx Effort.
That's all for today. Good luck at the windows.