In the fourth installment of our new weekly feature, it’s Gabby Gaudet’s best longshots and exotic plays for Saturday! Last week, her Pick 4 blew up when a bomber won the first race in the sequence — but she hit the next three, and if you played that Pick 3, she put $100 in your pocket. As for today, she has another Pick 4 — good luck to all!
PICK FOUR
Laurel Park has a 50-cent Pick Four beginning in race 7. Post time for the 7 is 4:18. Note that the main track is muddy as off 11:00 a.m., and all races are off the turf.
MJC analyst Gabby Gaudet will share her longshot and exotic plays with The Racing Biz each Saturday. Photo courtesy of the Maryland Jockey Club.
Gabby’s Selections
- Race 7 – 3, 6, 14
- Race 8 – 5, 7, 8
- Race 9 – 1, 7, 9
- Race 10 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- Wager cost: $81
Gabby says….
“Race 7 is the first of the off-the-turf events, a 5 1/2 furlong sprint now on the main track for horses that have never won two, claiming price of $25,000… Available, #3, has been keeping decent company for this group, and he ran pretty well on the slop, which is really important here… #6 A.P. Wild comes in as a main-track only runner. He has been in tip-top form recently. He ran pretty well at Charles Town and at Timonium, but he’s the type of horse that might like a bigger track like Laurel better. I thought his last race was spectacular… #14 Espiritu Libre is fit and has been training well in the mornings, but he’s been off since March. He should show a lot of speed with blinkers on today, and class-wise he belongs here — but he may need a race.
“The eighth race, a maiden special weight going six furlongs on the main track, is really stacked. I’m going to throw out the favorite here, #4 Pacific Theater. If it’s not his best day, or he doesn’t like the main track, he’s very beatable… I really like #7 Der Boss. If there’d been a couple more strides in his last race, he’d have won that race, and he gets a couple more strides today, with the six furlong distance versus 5 1/2 last time. He’s a good bet at his morning line odds of 3-1… Ronny Alfano does really well with firsters, like #8 Ebony Two Star. This horse’s dam really liked the slop, and he has some good works in the morning; he could really show up today… One of the better races run by #5 Joey N was on the slop. I’m looking for new trainer Hugh McMahon to move this horse up off the claim, and the horse’s dam was 3-for-6 on the off track…
“The ninth is a second-level allowance switched from the turf to the main track, and all three of the horses I like are main track only runners. Yesterday, speed didn’t really hold if the horses were pressed, but I think that #9 Majestic Samurai will be fastest of all on the stretch out, and I’m hoping she’ll go gate to wire; she’s my top choice here… #1 I Will If You Will draws the rail, which is often not beneficial, but I think she may be able to sit a good trip behind the speed. She’s strong at the distance, and she’s been seeing decent company. Back in May she ran great on a sloppy sealed track at Pimlico, stalking and winning by 7 lengths, and she could get that setup again here… #7 Carrietta always shows up: she has 11 wins and 10 second place finishes in her 43-race career. She loves Laurel, loves the distance, loves the slop, draws a good post — the only concern is that she’s only won one of 12 starts this year…
“I had a really hard time with the 10th race — it’s absolutely loaded, and I finally decided to push the all button. Even #2 Final Forest, who’s 15-1 and not in very good form now, has some strong races to run back to… Claudio Gonzalez trains #3 The Louisiana Kid, and Claudio has been winning a lot all over the country. This horse can be tough, and he won his only try on an off track… Really, they’re all tough, good horses.”
LONGSHOT PLAYS
- Her longshot play of the day comes from the 10th race: #6 Done Talking. Done Talking won the 2012 G3 Illinois Derby before finishing 14th in the G1 Kentucky Derby, but he hasn’t won since and today will run for the first time for trainer Robin Graham after having been trained by Hamilton Smith throughout his career. Today he’s shortening up to just 5 1/2 furlongs after a five month break; it might look more like a tune-up, but Gaudet says, “I think this will be his distance. His dam was 2-for-2 sprinting, and he’s a half-brother to two good sprinters.” Gaudet also believes the weather may work to his advantage: “I think he’s a cool-weather horse, and he’s run some of his best races in the fall and winter.” Done Talking is 5-1 in the morning line.
Good luck!
(Featured image, of Ben’s Cat, by Laurie Asseo.)
