Charles Town picks and horses to watch: July 15

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, $31,236

Check out our other handicapping here!

RACE

Race 2

CONTENDERS

7-2-5-3

ANALYSIS

Interesting allowance contest going 4 1/2 furlongs here, and we’ll give the nod to #7 News Flash (3-1). Our third choice, #5 Mischievous Jesse (6-1), projects as the speed of the speed in this contest, and News Flash has stalked and defeated him in two consecutive encounters. For the third straight outing, News Flash will break outside of his rival and should have the first crack at him in the lane… #2 Lantau (2-1) has been facing straight three-year-olds at Laurel Park, so this will be just his second outing against older; his prior didn’t go well, but that was on the grass. He’s got early speed, but early 5 1/2-furlong speed at Laurel isn’t quite the same as early 4 1/2-furlong speed at CT, and that, coupled with trying CT for the first time, incline us to try to beat him on top… #3 Impetuous (5-2) has run good recent races against starter and optional types of late, and while he may be an inch not as good as others here, he could get a piece.

Race 7

4-3-5-1

It’s not every day at Charles Town — or any track, for that matter — that you get a contest between a millionaire and a horse who’s 9-for-9, but that’s what we’ve got here in this allowance contest. #4 Muad’dib (3-5), with a spotless record and one WV-bred horse of the year crown in the bank, will make his seasonal bow in this contest. He’s fired fresh before, and in a race that looks to have some front-end pace, he should get a congenial setup… #3 Runnin’toluvya (7-2) is a Grade 2 winner and millionaire. He returned from a 17-month layoff April 30 with a credible try, finishing third behind Candy Invasion, now a winner of three straight, and is showing two sharp works in the interim. He’s been prone to surprising poor performances of late — he’s been the beaten favorite five times on the page — but his last effort says there’s still some gas in the tank… #5 Boaster (9-2) is likely to be last early but should be able to run on late… #1 Hero’s Man (5-1) is in a bit of a tough spot here: drawn inside, he’d like to control this one from the front. But immediately to his outside is Remy’s Showtime, who, with several solid one-turn outings on the page, has plenty of speed to complicate things…

LATEST NEWS