Maryland racing analyst Gabby Gaudet has thoughts on a Jackpot Pick 5 on this afternoon’s card at Laurel Park!
JACKPOT PICK FIVE
Laurel Park has a 50-cent Jackpot Pick 5 beginning with race 5. The wager has a carryover of more than $9,400. Post time for the fifth is 2:28 p.m.
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 5 – 1, 5, 6, 8
- Race 6 – 2, 3, 4
- Race 7 – 2X, 6, 7, 8, 10
- Race 8 – 1
- Race 9 – 5, 10
- Wager cost: $60 ($0.50 unit)
Gabby says….
“The fifth race is pretty wide open in my opinion, despite the 8-5 favorite in here. You’d figure that that favorite, #6 Charmed by Danger, will probably win in here. But I have enough questions about her that I couldn’t single her. She’s backed up late in her last two races at shorter distances, and now she’s stretching out to a mile. I’m inclined to throw out the last race for #5 Starship Luna; that race was a mess, but she seems to like this one-turn mile and, outside of that race, fits here.
“You could almost single #2 Allie Sweet in the sixth race, a starter allowance. She’s been racing against much better than these. But she’s only raced once since September, hasn’t raced at all since December, and I wonder about this jockey switch to an apprentice who hasn’t done all that well. If not her, I really think the only other serious contenders here are #3 Kippy Fox and #4 No Means No.
“The seventh is a different matter. Almost any of these could win here, and I went five deep. This will be a 14-horse, $5,000 conditioned claimer, and it’s a complete maze of a race. I’m surprised to see # 8 Kens Cape — a horse who in mid-2013 was placed in a couple of stakes — in here at the bottom; if he runs back to his earlier efforts, he’ll win here. Of course, the same is true of #10 Bellisima Luna, who is dropping from open $12,500 claiming and who, two back, just missed for $16,000. They’re wild cards with a sigificant class edge on the field. That said, I thought #6 Pot of Gold ran really well last time, closing from the clouds to just miss, and I think he’ll run well here. My top pick, though, is #7 Stonecoldsteamer. I thought he ran well last time out, he could be the speed of the speed in here, he gets a 10-pound weight break with Nik Juarez up, and if the old class horses don’t show, they might have a hard time running him down at a price.
In the eighth, a first-level allowance, on the other hand, I’m singling Jerry Robb’s horse, #1 Dark Voyager. I think this field is just OK overall, and Dark Voyager is a horse who’s really improving. His win two back was super-impressive visually, and last out he closed fast to just miss at this level.
“The nightcap is a $12,500 maiden claimer, and I’m using two of these. They tried to send #5 Michonne in her last race, but she couldn’t make the lead. They’re putting apprentice Trevor McCarthy on, which means they’ll get a weight break; I think they send her again here, but I think she might make the lead this time and, if so, could be tough. I thought #10 Bazinga B had a decent debut. Winning Player freaked and ran a huge race, but this horse ran pretty well to be second and could improve off that.
“Good luck!”
(Featured image, of Ben’s Cat, by Laurie Asseo.)
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