Nick's Picks: Colonial Downs picks March 13, 2025 * The Racing Biz

Nick’s Picks: Colonial Downs picks March 13, 2025

Nick Hahn
March 13, 2025

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 2025: Nick’s Picks returns with picks and analysis for Colonial Downs’s first-ever March meet, featuring the Virginia Derby, now a Kentucky Derby points race.

DATE/POST TIME: March 13, 2025/12:35 p.m.
RACES: 8
CARRYOVERS: None

RACE 1

First dirt for three-year-old maidens features two out of maiden special weight going seven furlongs.

4. Forty Love	Transitions from the synthetic last month at Turfway Park looking to improve off of the first start.
1. Tethered Soul	Comes in off the layoff after a challenging first start with nice works at Churchill.
5. Free Dance	Certainly most proven in this field with speed figures coming out of NY-state bred racing.

RACE 2

Despite largely being lightly raced, these three-year-old fillies have collected a number of wins

1. Golden Philly	PPs scream mudder on Ness’s filly but she broke her maiden by 13 on a dry track.
3. Blessed Candy	Paco Lopez gets the mount on a Maximum Security filly competitive at this level. Won’t fault the Charles Town outing.
5. My Dear Antonia	Kitten’s Joy never saw the Colonial Downs dirt, but his daughter is the classiest horse in the field not performing poorly.

RACE 3

Four of these eight Virginia restricted three-year-old sprinters won in their last start. Those that didn’t had good showings.

2. Crab Daddy	Albert’s gelding has been competitive in stakes company in Maryland and Pennsylvania shortens to 5 1/2 furlongs.
7. Midnight Mesa	Contreras’ colt backed up his sharp mornings with a four-length maiden win, then backed up the win with a sharp morning.
4. Ballad of Warrior	Pennsylvania-bred has run respectably versus Crab Daddy before and had a sharp return off the layoff last week.

RACE 4

Not only did the three older outside horses win in their last start, they have faced each other recently.

7. Nancy Made My Day	Farrior’s four-year-old has been first or second in his last six starts, maybe enough to dispel middling Colonial outings last summer.
5. Quick Tempo	Ness’s veteran has a distant win at Colonial Downs, two very recent wins in very different conditions, a sign of talent.
6. Battle of Bastogne	Don’t get the Farrior four-year-old entries confused because they could sweep the exacta, but usually will get split.

RACE 5

Of these eight Virginia restricted maiden sprinters, there are many that have scored near misses in various venues.

5. Falcon Blue	Tim Keefe, who had Colonial’s very first winner in 1997, sends out a runner who ran well on debut and hopes to be closer to the early action today
1. Stormin Sammy	Katie Davis rides for the first time on a hard morning worker that has three second-place finishes.
3. Summerinthecountry	McMahon’s gelding appears to be much-improved on dirt since a disappointing outing in Colonial’s Hickory Tree.

RACE 6

Some of Cuz Ur Pretty’s beaten foes in recent starts get a chance to challenge in a different venue than Laurel.

1. Cuz Ur Pretty	The Finger Lakes flier sees a much different track today than the New York dirt or Maryland mud but has shown better than most.
5. My Flicker	Only a closing length behind Cuz Ur Pretty in last start and almost always runs a good race
8. Best Cupcake	Moving from turf to synthetic to dirt, Lauer’s mare rarely runs poorly but seems an inch better on other surfaces

RACE 7

With the condition of this races, having fewer wins may be better than having more in lower levels.

8. Alani	A steady performer on the dirt, Alani has won for two different trainers in the last five months. Only average on mud or turf.
2. Three Coats	Lauer starts his filly for the first time outside the state of Indiana. She’s a real threat if she duplicates her Hoosier outings.
5. Susan’s Mule	Carrasco returns to ride a runner with only one setback among the last four starts.

RACE 8

The finale features in the largest field of the day with nine Virginia restricted three-year-old maidens with a handful of starts.

6. Village Person	Klesaris starts a well-bred Mucho Macho Man firster behind several recent solid workouts with Paco Lopez aboard.
1. Zio Lino	Will likely be out for the lead again on the rail, a nice spot considering younger horses usually don’t pass easily.
8. Rock of Ages	Contreras’ gelding better efforts have been at shorter distances but might not know the difference when on Colonial’s big turn.