Charles Town picks and horses to watch: May 5, 2023
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, $110,595
- Sea Dancer gets valuable stakes win in CarouselSea Dancer, a younger half-sis to one of the top turf horses in the country, earned her first stakes win in Saturday’s Carousel at Laurel Park.
RACE
Race 3
CONTENDERS
7-5-4-6
ANALYSIS
There’s a pretty good chance that morning line favorite #1 Unison (1-1) makes it three straight in this allowance contest. The Larry Curtis runner — he’s the owner, trainer, and breeder — has actually crossed the wire first in four straight but was DQed for impeding a rival in one of those. He has been ultra-impressive of late, winning his last two by a combined 9 1/2 lengths. That’s no small potatoes at the 4 1/2-furlong distance, and in this contest, he looks like the speed of the speed while having the advantage of breaking from the outside… Toss the last around two turns and #5 Settlement Date (8-1) doesn’t look bad at all. His one-turn tries against state-breds stack up just fine, and he’ll look to stalk and pounce… That last may have been better than it looked for #4 Drinkwiththestars (6-1). Another horse acted up in the gate, which seemed to spur this one to lose his cool a bit. He ran up close for a while but faded late, as often happens to horses that leave their race in the starters blocks… #6 Hopping Henry (3-1) has won only one of his last 20 starts, which makes it hard to get excited about the morning line odds, though that one win came three back. No question he fits with these…
Race 7
6-7-4-2
When, in Animal House, Bluto, played by John Belushi, was asked why he’d nicknamed another character Flounder, he snorted and replied, “Why not?” Which is kind of how we get to #6 R Averie Lynn (12-1) in this contest. The Mike Gorham barn has been going well this season; rider Jean Alvelo comes in for just the one mount; and this mare had a pretty useful return from a couple months off when a close-up third last out at Laurel. She ran pretty well in her only prior local try, too. She’ll need to take a step forward, but she has good-enough efforts on the page, and the odds entice… #7 Baby Man (7-2) has been keeping better company up in New York and makes her first start off the claim for trainer Brittany Russell. Russell wins at a 29% clip first off the claim, and this one has been training forwardly… Morning line favorite #4 My Flicker (9-5) made a quick move to the lead in last but couldn’t seal the deal. She’s probably best in here, but we’re not sold the edge is as pronounced as the odds she’ll probably be… My Flicker is trained by leading conditioner Anthony Farrior, and he has a pair in here; the higher-priced Farrior is #2 Azzura (9-2)…
LATEST NEWS
3rd.Here’s hoping”Hopping Henry”gives a Sterling performance.
But”Unison”may win by a ton.
7th.It may not come as a “Complete Surprise”
that”Baby Man”can if”My Flicker”is not quicker.
Sometimes you just can’t beat the chalk.