Picks made Monday for fast track and firm turf
Race 1
3. Maestria – New to Hartman barn and that move has been paying off with next-out wins.
8. Basalt Street – Handled move back to dirt nicely with a strong second place in last outing.
Race 2
5. Le Monstre Rapide – First-time starter has strong connections — sired by Star Guitar.
10. Wishert – Ran well behind runaway winner in last outing. An improvement likely at a nice price.
Race 3
5. Charlie’s Penny – Hard to get past this one who in short field can stalk and pounce late.
3. Powder River – Should be able to secure the lead or position on the rail here, which is an advantage.
Race 4
6. Late September – Louisiana-bred who is taking on open company but looked very good winning last race.
3. Corona Bolt – First-time out winner for top trainer. This one is one to beat based on the strong first outing
Race 5
8. Sense You Asked – Showed speed in first outing then tired. This one should run a much improved race Monday.
9. Sliver Heist – Regally bred first-time starter for Asmussen. This one has been working steadily at Fair Grounds.
Race 6
3. Wave of Goodness – Hard to tell how this turf will play but might favor outside closers to begin.
5. Oliviaofthedesert – Another one expected to be near rear of the early pack before making late move.
IF OFF TURF – 5-6
Race 7
3. Banishing – Should improve here for strong connections in this one's second start.
7. Don’t Let Go – Extremely wide in last race but stayed on with a nice gallop out. In for a long-shot chance.
Race 8
2 – Dazzling Blue – Believe this one has some real talent and in second start will need to show it in tough heat.
8. Twice as Sweet – Already a stakes race winner. This one will be stalking from outside ready to pounce in stretch.
Race 9
1. Bango – Rail draw will force this one to be close to pace in race with little early zip apparent.
3. Tulane Tryst – Loves this track. Has not run since May but has been working well for return.
Race 10
2. Risk Manager – Horse is going very well right now — a long shot play in here with tough foes.
7. English Tavern – The one to beat with the right style to close ground on the outside here.
IF OFF TURF – 5-10
Race 11
3. Determinedly – Coming off first win in sprint, but the two turns of this will be perfect for style.
2. Jace’s Road – Giving this one another shot after debacle effort in the slop last time.
Race 12
3. Hang the Moon – Under the radar. Needs to improve. Last race was visually impressive for a chance.
1. Pretty Mischievous – Has run well in all three starts, gets advantage of the rail draw and is one to beat.
Race 13
8. Chess Chief – Winner of this race in 2021 and loves this track. He might have one more big upset win in him.
10. Five Star General – Has the speed to get to front and could go all the way at a big price if left alone.
Around the Track
A terrific card of racing put together by the Fair Grounds racing team and there are two scheduled races on the turf. Hoping the extreme cold won’t affect the turf racing but we make alternate selections if moved to the dirt. Top jockey Luis Saez comes in today to ride a few horses in the stakes races, and it is always interesting to see how the locally based jockeys fare against out-of-town riders. I think we’ll see an extremely talented filly in the eighth race with Dazzling Blue making her second start, and I think she is very good.
Best Bet
Our Best Bet today will be in Race 8: No. 2 Dazzling Blue: Just looked extremely good in first start and ready to take next step forward here.
Good luck and may they all come home safely.