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 $1,748. 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 – 2, 3, 5, 7
- Race 6 – 1a, 3, 4, 5
- Race 7 – 1, 3, 5, 7, 8
- Race 8 – 1, 4
- Race 9 – 1
- Wager cost: $80 ($0.50 unit)
Gabby says….
“Even though someone hit the Jackpot Pick 5 on Thursday — for more than $85,000 — there’s still a small carryover, and it’s still a fun wager, so I’ll take a swing at it. I’m taking a lot of horses in the first three legs, then just two in the eighth and singling the ninth. The fifth is a $25,000 claimer for horses that have never won two races going one mile. I think #2 Game Effort is probably the toughest in here, the class of the field. Her effort against Dattt Melody last out — who hasn’t done much since but looked like the class of that group — was better than it looks. I made #3 Ski Pole my best bet of the day last time, and though he didn’t win, I think he ran a much improved race with blinkers added. Plus, trainer Hamilton Smith and jockey Victor Carrasco have been doing really well together. I like seeing jockey Julian Pimentel back aboard #5 Glich, who I think is a tough horse to ride, though he does have a bit of talent. They stuck with #7 Petie’s Boy a long time to break his maiden, which he did going seven furlongs, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him move forward again at a mile.
“The sixth race is a $5,000 starter allowance going 1 1/16 miles, and I have four in here. I hated #3 Singing My Way last time out, but he definitely proved me wrong, winning impressively. But is he a single in here? I didn’t think so, didn’t see the race like that. But off three straight impressive wins, he’s worth keeping on your ticket, even at short odds. I think #5 Shamroge is a consistent sort who could step up here; if Singing My Way doesn’t have his best, Shamroge could be sitting in the catbird seat. In general., #4 Minnie Punt doesn’t look to be good enough, but trainer Kieron Magee really knows how to improve horses, so he wouldn’t be a big surprise. #1a Feisty Albert has been running against open company, maybe not as stiff as starters but still decent, and this isn’t a super tough starter. He fits here.
“The seventh is a first level allowance for fillies and mares going a mile. I really don’t know what to do with #1 Onegreatstep. She fooled me once, she fooled me twice — is she going to fool me a third time? She doesn’t have any real back class to support her last two races, but maybe they just figured her out and fixed whatever was wrong with her. I know that trainer Hamilton Smith really, really likes #3 Perique; she came off a long layoff to win for him, and they think she can do more, and with the Smith-Victor Carrasco connection, she’s going to be my top pick in here. #5 Silver Frame is the consistent sort of filly you can’t throw out in here, plus she owns a win at the distance. I know that trainer Rick Buckley really likes #7 Gypsy Heart, who won her last out at 5 1/2 furlongs. She doesn’t have as many miles under her as does Silver Frame, and she lost to Silver Frame — but Buckley thinks she’ll improve as she gets experience and as distances increase. I wouldn’t take #8 Before You Know It at 2-1 as a straight win play because there’s more value in here. But you can’t ignore some of her races in Kentucky, including the one two back, and horses trained by Dane Kobiskie can certainly fire off the layoff.
“In the eighth, an allowance/optional claimer for three year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs, I have two horses. I thought it was a really solid effort last out for #1 Knit One Purr Too; she dueled on the front with Jonesin for Jerry, who’s a stake winner, and stayed on well to be second, defeating the very well meant Proud to be Wild. I think she’s legit. I thought #4 Jump Two’s last race, a win in starter allowance company at Aqueduct, was visually impressive even though the Beyer came back low. And her race before that, a second against Gracer in the Marshua, was a good performance, as Gracer’s a really good horse.
“In the ninth, the featured Caesar’s Wish, the obvious choice is #4 Steady N Love, who’s even money. But we won’t be able to take down the whole pool with that play, so let’s try to go against the grain. I think Steady N Love is legit, but she was a complete stick-out in that last race, in a field full of horses that didn’t want to go two turns. Here, backing up to the one turn mile with some horses that have been successful doing this, I think it’s tough to single her. I think #6 Tupancy Links could be tough in here, for example, but the horse I’m leaning towards is #1 Brown Rice. She’s two-for-two at this distance, and in her last start, back on New Year’s Eve, she actually beat Steady N Love.
“Good luck!”
(Featured image, of Ben’s Cat, by Laurie Asseo.)
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