CHARLES TOWN PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: FEB. 26

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 71-2-5-3Interesting starter allowance is featured here, and in this one-turn dash, there look to be plenty of horses that want to get out and go, most prominently the ultra-fast (but ultra-distance limited) #6 Phonemyposseagain, who’s always in front early but sometimes — as in his last start — fades off the scene dramatically. He is probably fastest here, but with other speed types signed on, he’ll need to be running hard to make the early lead. Let’s see if we can register a mild upset with #1 To the Front (4-1). The Anthony Farrior trainee is stepping up to his toughest company yet, but a couple of factors argue in his favor: first, we really like that last race, where he showed a new dimension by sitting off the pace and then running past to win, and second, he’s attracted the services of top rider Bocachica….#2 Victory Chimes (5-1) is one of those speed types and has perhaps the best chance of them to stay on; he enters off a good win starter company at PEN… Favored #5 Day the Music Died (7-5) should have a similar trip to our top choice and has been keeping generally better company than these. He’s probably best, but the likely odds are a bit tough to take… #3 Castle Five (9-2) was just a length behind the favorite last out, can contend here…
Race 89-6-1-8Speaking of upsets… howzabout #9 Urkillingmebeth (10-1) to take the nightcap? The David Walters trainee returned from a 15-month break to win last out, has made only two starts in her career, and can easily improve here… Favored #6 Bella Gianna (1-1) defeated better two back (but was DQed, allowing her to show up again in this never-two condition). The one question we’d have is the cutback to 4 1/2 furlongs after back-to-back two-turn tries here. Will that help her? Maybe, but it makes you pause before dropping money on her at such short odds… #1 Queen Kantharos (6-1) returns from a lengthy layoff, competed against similar when last seen… #8 Stylish Paint (8-1) makes her third start off a six-month break and third for trainer Ronney Brown…

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