PARX PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: OCT. 28

Street Band
Street Band upset the 2019 Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing . Photo by Allison Janezic.

Parx Racing has an 11-race card on tap for this afternoon. Post time for the opener is 12:45 p.m., and we’ve got Parx picks.

How’d we do last time at Parx?

RACE NUMBERCONTENDERSCOMMENTS
Race 84-8-5-10It’s two-year-old maidens in this spot, and we’ll give the nod to #4 Jimmy the Kid (6-1). The son of Runhappy was well-beaten on debut, but that was up at Saratoga against some awfully pricey first-timers; it was also on the slop. He catches what should be a more manageable group today and gets Lasix for the first time… #8 Principino (5-2) didn’t miss by much last time out after a wide journey, and that two-turn journey should help his fitness to go seven-eighths here. But that was kind of a slow early-slow late race and may not be quite as good as it looks… #5 Irish Honor (5-1) makes his debut here. The Honor Code colt is out of a Midnight Lute mare who was multiple graded stakes-placed… #10 Downtown Doc Brown (6-1) has been moving in the right direction…
Race 107-1-4-2Now here’s a screwy condition for this time of year: an allowance for three-year-olds with an optional claiming tag of $50,000. These are common earlier in the year, when three-year-olds aren’t mature enough to compete with their elders, but by now, that shouldn’t be an issue, so this race brings together a couple looking for their first allowance win and others who are in for the tag — running against a-other-than horses for a tag normally associated with three-other-than rivals… One of the latter sort is #7 Bird King (5-1). The Mike Pino-trained son of Tiznow ran fifth last time in a second-level allowance at Keeneland and makes his second start off a two-month break today. Without much speed in here, he can use his tactical ability and outside post to good advantage… #1 Mr. Thrifty (3-1) is one seeking his initial allowance win. The Butch Reid trainee took nine shots to break his maiden but did so by 13 lengths and came back to be second in allowance company behind a next-out winner. Oddly enough, his full brother, Brett’s World, is in the eighth… #4 Skyscanner (9-2) won nicely in a Delaware allowance last out, and three of five to run back have run one-two in their follow-ups… #2 Pitching Ari (7-2) should appreciate the class relief after getting thrashed by the undefeated Yaupon in the G3 Chick Lang last time…

LATEST HANDICAPPING