Laurel Park: Spot plays and horses to watch, December 1
Edgar Prado smiles after Always Thinking won the Sensible Lady Turf Dash. Photo by Dottie Miller.
Gary Quill is taking a brief hiatus from his GQ Approach full-card picks and analysis. In his stead, we present daily spot plays and horses to watch. Good luck!
First post today 12:30 p.m. The late Pick 5 has no carryover. The Super Hi 5 has a carryover of $1,855.30. The Jackpot Rainbow Pick 6 has a carryover of $8,636.79. Nine races are on the card. Laurel has closed down its turf course for the season.
- The fourth is a maiden special weight test for two-year-old fillies going seven furlongs, and while that distance can be a tricky one, and the odds aren’t likely to entice, the race’s horse to watch is #2 Safwah (part of entry, 2-1). The Graham Motion trainee was a $485,000 auction purchase and has a lengthy string of works, including a couple of bullets, in preparation for this. More to the point, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro is a half-sister to two Grade 1 winners, Hot Dixie Chick and 2017 Kentucky Derby hero Always Dreaming. In a group without other obvious standouts, if she can run like big bro and big sis, she’ll be tough in here.
TODAY’S FULL-CARD SELECTIONS
- Race 1 – 2-5-3-6
- Race 2 – 4-5-2-1
- Race 3 – 6-1-7-3
- Race 4 – 2-7-1-5
- Race 5 – 2-6-5-8
- Race 6 – 7-6-8-1
- Race 7 – 7-3-2-6
- Race 8 – 5-8-1-11
- Race 9 – 1-3-10-6
- The sixth is another maiden special for two-year-old fillies, this one going 5 1/2 furlongs, and the solid favorite here is #7 In Jail (9-5). The Mike Trombetta trainee led late before settling for second last out behind a runner, Caught Dream’n, who nearly won a stake in her follow-up. She may be tough in here but also in winless in five career starts. Another worth a look is the Mary Eppler trainee #6 Keepupthemessage (5-1). The Keep Up filly is making her debut here. She’s out of the Orientate mare Long Message, making her a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Long On Value. While that runner is best known for his exploits on the turf, he actually broke his maiden, at first asking, on the dirt. Jomar Torres will ride.
- The eighth is a six-furlong allowance sprint that’s attracted a solid and wide-open field of 11, with the favorite being #8 High Roller (4-1), who returned from a six-month break with a runner-up effort against similar last out. Also worth a look is is #5 Showalter (5-1), a Gary Capuano trainee who returned from an even longer break — over a year — to be fourth in that same race after setting the early pace. He certainly has the right to improve in his second off a long break and figures either to lead or sit right off the pace in an event without a ton of early types. Jevian Toledo, the leading rider at the meet, picks this one over Furyofthenorsemen.
