CHARLES TOWN PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: MAR. 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 15-2-6The deserving favorite in here (and most likely winner) is the Jeff Runco-trained #2 Social Chic (6-5), who’s won three straight against state-breds — the last two with ease — and here tries open company for the first time. Leading rider Bocachica remains aboard, and there’s every reason to think this guy will be a factor here. Still, he is stepping up in class a bit, so let’s see if we can beat him with #5 Like Segal (7-2). The Javier Contreras trainee broke his maiden at first asking and looked like a good thing while doing it, winning by six over next-out graduate Macy’s Boy. He’s failed as the fave in two subsequent tries, but he still has plenty of upside. He ripped off a sharp three-furlong move the other day to tune up, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him return to the front-running tactics he used on debut here in a race that looks a bit light on speed… #6 Saint Vrain (3-1) came within a whisker of winning at this level last out, finishing in front of Like Segal in the process. He’s been moving in the right direction…
Race 27-2-4-3Like the first, this maiden event looks to have a strong favorite in #2 Rye Humor (4-5). The newcomer to the local scene has competed effectively in high-priced maiden claimers at Churchill. He’s been training forwardly since his last start, in mid-December, and getting back on regular dirt after a not-very-good try on the synthetic at Turfway should aid the cause. On the other hand, he’s a five-year-old maiden, and the short odds are a bit tough… We’ll try to beat him with another trying the local scene for the first time, #7 Happy Bee (7-2). She’s a filly taking on the boys, so you’ll want to demand fair value, and for good measure, she hasn’t raced in a year. But her prior tries, in special weight company at Gulfstream, aren’t bad at all, and her figs seem generally to stack up… #4 American Piper (5-1) has run occasional good races while facing better competition, though trainer Rick Buckley is 0-for-53 since returning to action in 2020… #3 Native Courage (8-1) has finished in the triple seven times against similar, which is not a great argument for him on top but does suggest he’ll likely hit the board…

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