CHARLES TOWN PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: APR. 16

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.

Carryovers: Jackpot Pick 6, $28,198.

Check out our other handicapping here!

RACE NUMBERCONTENDERSCOMMENTS
Race 66-5-4-2Charles Town has certainly been kind to #6 Take Me Home (3-5). The Farrior trainee, a daughter of Take Charge Indy, has raced at the track five times and crossed the wire first in all five. And she’s working on a four-race win streak overall (all four coming here). Farrior’s got two in here — including #2 Lady Macho (9-2) — and both are capable, but Take Me Home looks like the one to beat… If someone is going to beat her, who might it be? #5 My Lovely Girl (6-1) is an interesting runner here and might well be the most likely upsetter (and possibly the wagering value). The Analia Larrosa trainee has won three of 12 overall, and while her only local try beyond 4 1/2 furlongs resulted in a third-place finish, we’re not inclined to hold that too strongly against her; the winner was the very good Bridging the Gap. With her speed, this miss ought to grab the early lead, and then we’ll see far she can take ’em… Trainer Mike Butts has two in here, with #4 Dazzle Me (5-1) the more likely. She jumped up to win an allowance at 17-1 last time, defeating next-out winner Malibu Splash, who’s a live contender in Saturday’s Original Gold Stakes…
Race 73-1-2-4The top four in this allowance contest — scratched down to five — all appear pretty evenly matched. Let’s look for a mild upset with #3 Rush to the Castle (4-1). The normally speedy James Casey trainee nearly faceplanted leaving the gate last time out but then showed a new dimension, rallying from the rear of the field into second, just a length behind the very tough Fiber and Emily. It was a big effort and could presage a return to his best form… Speaking of big efforts, #1 Hero’s Man (9-5) outslugged the very good Fancy Concho to win last out, fighting back after that runner had put a head in front late… #2 Boaster (7-2) finished fourth in that race, but we’re inclined to give him another crack. He bobbled badly leaving the gate and immediately found himself several lengths back. He made a bit of a middle move without ever being a threat to the top pair, and he actually galloped out in front. A cleaner break puts him right there… #4 Yes It’s Roo (5-2) has been making pretty short work of his conditions thus far and returns to CT for the first time in over a year; he’s won one of two locally…

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