CHARLES TOWN PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: FEB. 5

Sleepy Eyes Todd
Sleepy Eyes Todd won the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic. Photo by Coady Photography.

Charles Town Races has an eight-race card on tap for this evening. Post time for the opener is 7:00 p.m., and we’ve got Charles Town picks.

Check out our other handicapping here!

RACE NUMBERCONTENDERSCOMMENTS
Race 13-2-1-5Top choice #3 Take Me Home (7-5) galloped against similar last time — a couple of the logical players here come from that race — and has repeatedly proven herself a tough customer at this starter allowance level. With leading rider Bocachica in the irons and the tactical speed to carve out a good trip, she’ll be a handful again (albeit at short odds)… That was a more useful return to action than it might seem at first glance for #2 Surfer Girl Cents (6-1). In her first start in 10 months, the Aaron West trainee got taken out of her game right away when squeezed back to last leaving the gate, and she was very wide on both turns. Nevertheless, she made a prolonged middle move into third before flattening out in the final eighth. She shows a breeze in the interim and can improve off that last effort; a return to her better form puts her right there… #1 Yesterdaysplan (2-1) has been keeping better company than these and ships in for Farrior, who’s 29% at the track. But her last couple races are off color, and go-to rider Bocachica picks the favorite… The late-running #5 Bird Traffic (20-1) will need the pace to melt down, which doesn’t seem super-likely, but she did rally into a distant third last time behind Take Me Home…
Race 46-9-10-1Trainer Jeff Runco has a shot to run one-two in this state-bred maiden special weight, and we’re going to take a swing with one of those. #6 Arrowwood (10-1) didn’t show much on debut going 4 1/2 furlongs, finishing seventh of 10 in a race in which she was never much involved; winner That Kenney Kid came back two starts later to win on WVBC night. But this one’s been training decently towards her first start in five months, gets blinkers off, and most interesting of all — go-to rider Bocachica, who rode Runco’s other runner in here last out, picks this one… The Tim Grams-trained #9 Cedars Bulls Eye (8-1) had some issues in her debut, stumbling at the start and being taken up, running greenly while down inside through the first turn. For all that, she finished fourth after improving position in the last three eighths, the only one of the top four to do so. She can step forward with a better trip… #10 Tizbit (5-2) may well go favored when this one goes off after a willing third on debut in which she just missed second (though well behind the winner). It was a solid effort and portends improvement. The only negative: rider Bocachica leaves this mount for our top choice… Morning line favorite #1 Jamestown Road (2-1) has been second or third three straight since being stretched out to two turns. But she keeps not having quite enough to seal the deal, and others in this spot appeal more…

LATEST HANDICAPPING