With the big summer meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar still a ways off, opening on July 15 and 16 respectively, we’re in a bit of a summer lull as far as big stakes races at the major tracks go. So on the last Sunday in June, we will turn to Lone Star Park in Texas, where a quartet of late-afternoon stakes, all on grass, will make up the day’s action. We expect fast dirt and firm turf for all of them, so let’s go.
Lone Star Park, Race 8, 6:21 pm ET
$75,000 Grand Prairie Turf Sprint Stakes, 5 furlongs, Turf, 3 & Up
Six go in the Grand Prairie Turf Sprint. The pick is 5-Archidust, a Steve Asmussen trainee who should get an ideal trip behind what should be a pretty fast pace, and from his stalking position, overtake the leaders turning for home and hold off the deep closers. We will bet him to win at 2-1. The bet: Lone Star, Race 8, $35 to win on 5-Archidust.
Lone Star Park, Race 9, 6:53 pm ET
$75,000 Wasted Tears Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Turf, Fillies & Mares 3 & Up
Among the seven who line up for the Wasted Tears, there are six locally-based fillies and mares, and one who ships in for the race: 7-Tizahara, who has been running for trainer Ian Wilkes in allowance company at Churchill Downs and Keeneland. She hasn’t exactly been a win machine, with only two victories in fifteen career starts, but she has been running against much tougher than this group. Look for her to sit mid-pack early, and to seize command at the top of the stretch. We will bet her to win at 9/2. The bet: Lone Star, Race 9, $40 to win on 7-Tizahara.
Lone Star Park, Race 10, 7:25 pm ET
$75,000 Chicken Fried Stakes, 5 furlongs, Turf, Fillies & Mares 3 & Up
Trainer Mike Maker has a big stable, and runs horses all over the place, but it’s not often that we see his name on the entry sheet at Lone Star Park. So the fact that he’s entered 7-A Bit of Both, a 5-year-old mare who last ran in Kentucky after spending the winter in Florida, is noteworthy, especially since she is only one of two starters Maker has in Texas today. She has been a bit unlucky of late, as her last four starts have on either soft turf or have been rained off the grass entirely, but when she gets the firm footing that she likes, she is pretty good, good enough, we think, to best the other seven lining up against. We will bet her to win at 5-1. The bet: Lone Star Park, Race 10, $35 to win on 7-A Bit of Both.
Lone Star Park, Race 11, 7:57 pm ET
$75,000 Singletary Stakes, 1 ⅛ miles, Turf, 3 & Up
Nine line up for the Singletary. We like Maker’s other runner, 5/2 morning line choice, 2-Me and Mr. C, who is a strong play in this spot. He’s a closer who won the first three races of the year, including a stakes, at Tampa Bay Downs, and then finished third and fourth, respectively, in races at Gulfstream Park. We think this is not a case of a horse going off form, but is rather a case of a come-from-behinder spinning his wheels on Gulfstream’s speed-favoring turf course. There should be enough speed here to set up his late charge, which means he is headed to the winner’s circle. We will bet him to win, and we will do so with gusto. The bet: Lone Star Park, Race 11, $50 to win on 2-Me and Mr. C.
That’s all for today. Until the next time, enjoy the racing, be safe, and, as always, good luck at the windows.