Nick's Picks: Colonial Downs picks September 5, 2024 * The Racing Biz

Nick’s Picks: Colonial Downs picks September 5, 2024

Nick Hahn
September 5, 2024

He’s probably the only public handicapper who’s ‘capped every race at Colonial Downs since Day One, and he’s back for more in 2024: Nick’s Picks returns with picks and analysis for every day of the Colonial meet.

DATE/POST TIME: September 5/11:45 (steeplechase races), with the first flat race at 1:30
RACES: 12
CARRYOVERS: None

RACE 1

First steeplechase race in a while starts around 11:45 in a field of jump maidens first tryers over jumps could have an impact.

5. Memento	Everything was going well for Kingsley’s jumper until a fall early in a race in Tennessee. Has had a few months to recoup.
1. Moonshine Time	Would expect Mulqueen’s mount to find the lead at some point in the race but has shown difficulty completing the Colonial turn.
2. China Beach	The Dalton duo six-year-old showed a liking for grass in his 25 race career on the flat. Tries the jumps for the first time in competition.

RACE 2

Maiden jumpers again but this time those who have started for a claiming price of $25k or less whether on the flat or not.

10. Ruthenian	Would have been a convincing winner himself if not for the convincing score of Carloun in a recent Colonial contest.
7. Rugby Road	Off a maiden breaking win at Delaware Park, Brion transitions her four-year-old gelding to jumps with Mulqueen aboard.
2. Love Foreverafter	Interesting the Morris scratch out of a flat race yesterday to run here over jumps in a full field. Had a nice start to start the meet.

RACE 3

The $100,000 Life’s Illusion features Kingsley’s Exculpate looking for a rare three-peat over Colonial jumps this summer.

7. Exculpate	With different riders has dominated from the drop of the flag in each Colonial start without a number other than 1 in her PP lines at CNL.
8. Gold Charm	Recent form on the rustic courses hasn’t shown much but, like Exculpate this summer, won two races at Colonial last summer.
1. Haint Blue	The only jumper in the field that has a win over Exculpate which was earlier this spring in South Carolina for the Dalton duo.

RACE 4

Interesting condition in the first flat race on the card. For starters of, but not winners of, a jump race at Colonial Downs this summer.

6. Ready for the Lady	Kingsley’s gelding previously trained by Roger Attfield at Woodbine churned out a number of solid outiing last year before trying jumps.
4. Price Talk	The ghost of Kitten’s Joy still lives with this frequent former stakes winner of years past for Morris, but could two miles be a factor?
9. Royne	Once competitive at distance with the likes of Red Knight when Dickinson handled. May show some of the 2022 form today.

RACE 5

On the dirt for the first time today are nine “nonwinners of two” claimers where best contenders have starts in the meet.

8. Ain’t Noncents	After nearly winning against other females, Gardea was confident enough to try the boys and nearly won. Goes seven furlongs again.
1. Practical Miss	Showed capability this spring at Aqueduct in breaking her maiden in a NY-restricted $30k claiming contest at seven furlongs.
5. Balenciaga Betty	In what could be the battle of the barnmates, the other Gardea won last week at seven furlongs to break his maiden.

RACE 6

In a MSW, ten two-year-olds line up in a turf sprint where several with previous starts showed promise. Watch for changes.

1. Warheart	Not sure if running here or Kentucky Downs for Ross. Either way was a contender in the August 17th race versus Lazio.
3. Fiction	The highest priced two-year-old in the field debuts for Casse with Jaramillo named. Both winning at above 20%.
9. All the Luck	Making his first start on the turf is Bowersock’s Lookin At Lucky gelding where his turf pedigree may help.

NICK’S NOTES

Picks continue below.
Just as it seemed the field was catching up on Ben Curtis for the jockey title, the Irishman delivered a riding double late in the card to give him 24 wins on the meet, three more than Antonio Gallardo in second place with 21 wins. Gallardo had crept within a win of Curtis when he won with Bizzee Channel in the fourth race on Thursday before Curtis’ late evening mastery.
The sole winner among the competitors vying for the training title came to Michael Stidham yesterday in that finale delivered by Curtis with Streetcorner for DARRS, Inc. (David Ross). Stidham now has 13 wins on the meet, one more than Michael Trombetta with twelve and three more than Brittany Russell with ten tallies.
Nothing is set in stone for the titles as there are twelve races today (three of them over jumps), eleven on Friday night and twelve on Saturday.
As discussed on yesterday’s Nick’s Picks, Donate Life broke through with a maiden breaking win in the second race at Colonial Downs with Victor Carrasco aboard for trainer Phil Schoenthal. The filly was named for the organization that through a heart transplant is credited for saving the life of Schonethal’s now nine-year-old son Emerson. It took nine starts which included four second place finishes at a variety of tracks and surfaces, but the deserved great moment finally occurred.
Susan Cooney’s Carolina Hideaway won for the second time in the meet in Thursday’s eighth race with the “X-man”, Xaiver Perez aboard at over 26-1 in turf sprint. With Trevor McCarthy winning on the favorite early in the meet, owner, trainer, breeder, feeder, rider, provider, Cooney got her third off the meet with the four-year-old filly.
Handle for racing yesterday was $2,292,900 for the only Wednesday of the meet. Not bad for a day of racing created as a make-up day from a rain event in July, a nice sampling for how the meet may be expanded in 2025.
In steeplechase action today, Exculpate, who has never been headed in two previous starts in Colonial’s meet, goes for the three-peat today in the $100,000 Life’s Illusion for fillies and mares four-years-old and upwards. In the memory of this handicapper, I don’t remember a three-time winner over jumps in a single meet in Colonial’s history.

RACE 7

Largely veteran claimers, three with wins in this meet, go a turf mile in a field balanced with frontrunners, stalkers and closers.

8. Clouds of White	Karamanos delivered a win last month near this distance before the turf sprint thing really didn’t pan out.
4. Kitty Quick	Ochoa’s filly hasn’t seen the winners circle or firm turf in a while but ancient class shows a win (and claim) at this distance and surface.
3. Recognize Me	Would feel better about Hernandez’s filly if not for the recent start at Delaware. Rocco who delivered a recent Colonial win returns.

RACE 8

Ten two-year-old fillies, most stretching out to a mile from a sprint, try the turf. Both also-eligibles are prominent here.

3. Pure Majestic	The switch from a dirt sprint to a turf route was rewarding for Robb’s filly, just a little more proven than others here.
10. Cachinnation	Delacour debuts an impressive Practical Joke fall Keeneland yearling purchase with Carrasco aboard.
11. Funny Lady	Usually don’t make an also-eligible a selection but no doubt that if Stidham’s filly gets in, she will be a major factor.

RACE 9

Eight Virginia-restricted maidens, again for most stretching out to the mile from a sprint, contest the axiom that two-year-old don’t pass.

1. Juice	Expect Curtis on Saville’s filly to lead the charge on Lil Sweezey who will likely be the pacesetter. Think the added distance helps most.
8. All Gas No Brakes	Russell returns to ride for Brion on a Hoppertunity filly that nearly won at a mile in last asking and has seen the toughest foes.
3. Lil Sweezey	Even at a mile, could be a wire threat in this field but will need to survive a cavalry charge at the top of the stretch.

RACE 10

In a Virginia-restricted “nonwinners of one other than” turf route, four looking to capitalize off their win at the Colonial meet.

8. Venomous Vixen	Largely like four-year-olds over sophomores, but Russell’s lightly raced Palace Malice filly showed plenty in 2024 debut.
9. Nineteenamendment	Trombetta’s four-year-old knows the condition and the venue but tries a mile for the first time. Very capable.
7. Mainstream Sellout	Following Curtis from a couple of competitive options for him that led him to take the mount of his previous claiming winner.

RACE 11

A field of ten “nonwinners of two” claimers, most with experience at this level and distance where sophomores could rule.

10. Put a Rock On It	Would be an interesting spot for Trotman to make his first start of the meet on a class-dropping shipper from Delaware.
6. Thursday Girl	Off a win in a turf sprint, Schoenthal stretches out a filly and returns Carrasco on a Virginia-bred filly.
8. Satisfied	Allen’s mare rallied for Ruiz in last start but get Tyler Conner aboard today off a three-week layoff.

RACE 12

In the finale, ten turf sprinters are slated in the “nonwinners of two” claiming race that include three breaking their maiden in this meet.

10. Art of Courage	Not too worried about the outside post for this four-year-old of De Paz that shouldn’t be engaged until somewhere on the turn.
6. Acquired Class	Making his first start in the Lightner barn is a California competitor of last year, a handicapping angle that worked recently at Colonial.
4. Green Beans	Eagle Point’s graduate of a couple weeks ago loves to run in the finales of the card… perhaps.