Laurel Park: Spot plays and horses to watch, December 3
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 no carryover. The Jackpot Rainbow Pick 6 has no carryover. Eight races are on the card. Laurel has closed down its turf course for the season.
- The fourth race is a $40,000 maiden special weight test going six furlongs on the main track for three-year-olds and up, and the favorite in here is #1 Evil Monkey (3-1). The Ben Perkins-trained Don Six gelding has been working well towards his debut while at Parx Racing. But we’ll give a look to #4 Captain Scotty (4-1). The Tim Ritchey trainee is a son of Quality Road out of the Aggressive Chief mare She Is Raging. Quality Road, a very talented runner in his own right, won at first asking, and this runner has had some pretty useful half-siblings, including nine-time winner Sovereign Default ($240k), nine-time winner Bargaining, and Chubby Master ($94k). Ritchey has won with five of 20 runners making their debuts in maiden special weight company the last five years. Andrew Wolfsont is up.
TODAY’S FULL-CARD SELECTIONS
- Race 1 – 6-3-4-2
- Race 2 – 7-1-3-6
- Race 3 – 4-8-1-5
- Race 4 – 4-7-3-5
- Race 5 – 1-6-3-2
- Race 6 – 1-4-9-2
- Race 7 – 5-1-2-3
- Race 8 – 4-5-9-8
- The eighth is a $40,000 maiden claimer going a mile on the main track for two-year-old fillies, with the Tim Keefe-trained #5 Irish Access (2-1) the favorite off a good second against similar last out. A horse in here worth a look at what’s likely to be a price is #4 Maui Wahine (15-1). The Lorna Baker homebred — a Maryland-bred not eligible to be claimed — is making her debut here for trainer Ted Maher. The daughter of Cuba has been training forwardly, with bullets in her last couple of works at Laurel Park. She’s also a full-sister to Laki; that talented runner has won four of seven starts, including a stake, and $133,662. Steve Hamilton will ride.
Was wondering who Ted Maher was, and “The Biz” tells me. Thank-you. Would like to add two more horses to watch on today’s card. In the 6th race, Gary Capuano sends out, ‘Love Doctor”. Capuano had this hose entered in the Chris Elsner stakes last Saturday before scratching him out. Love Doctor also comes out of very useful dam who has produced multi- winning horses, Daystrike, Showalter, and Curlin’s Kid. The 4th race is a real head scratcher. 4 1st time starters in a December 3 yr. old race?
I’m keeping my eye on the Voss entry, #3 Saratoga Bob. His half brother, Swing Step, debut as 4yr old in August and crushed the field at 9-1.Though it was md. 25k claimer, the 73 beyer should be good enough to win this race. (Beyer par is 72)
The 2 horses share a common work out of the gate too, so hopefully at around 15-1 Saratoga can do some damage! By the way, speaking of gate works, did Tim Grams horse,Took Over, really work 45.1 out of the gate on November 3rd? Wow.
The grams horse will easily win the 4 th . You heard it here first ‘took over ‘ will easily take over after a good second last time out
A
Want that one back 🙂 Occupational hazard of picking in public – being wrong in public! Welcome to the club.
Come on Ajay, we gave you a $72 exacta! My pick in the 6th race yesterday,Love Doctor, fell apart and finished next to last. Retrospectively, Done Talking, looked my better in their common 11/3 race. But I put too much emphasis on Love Doctor’s pedigree instead of the good old eye ball test. Note to self, after 3/4 races, go by past performance and throw out pedigree.( especially when it comes to Ham Smith) Nice handicaqpping, Frank!
thanks, Bill – blind squirrel, meet nut.