Best Bet – (1) ACEFORTYFOURLADYDI – Race 3
Spot Play – (4) HIGHLAND SALSA – Race 5
20-Cent Pick 5 – Race 1: 1,4/1,4/1/2,6/1,2,4 = $4.80
20-Cent Early Pick 4 – Race 3: 1/2,6/1,2,4/2 = $1.20
20-Cent Late Pick 4 – Race 8: 3/1,2/2,3,5/1,3,4,6,9 = $6.00
Race 1 – (1) LADY TO WATCH has drawn bad posts forever – until tonight. I expect driver Thiessen to take advantage of the rail draw and put her into play early and she gets the nod here. (4) PATWEARSTHEPANTS has been racing well at this level – excluding two starts back where she broke stride – and she is hard to leave off Pick 5 tickets. (2) MACHLIKEANEGYPTIAN is another mare in here that gets major post relief tonight and I see her taking a small share.
Race 2 – (1) SIN FOR CREDIT should get a good trip here racing near the front and I’ll give her a slight nod over (4) AZALEA SEELSTER who gets MacKenzie back and was a wire-to-wire winner last time he drove. (3) VINTAGE SMILE draws nicely here after getting the 8-hole twice straight. She should be in the exotics mix.
Race 3 – (1) ACEFORTYFOURLADYDI gets the rail again after winning two straight from that post and she will be hard to get past at a short price. (2) BETTER JOY got hung the mile last week. In this spot, it seems almost sure that she will drop into the choice’s pocket leaving the gate and she should complete a chalky Exacta. (4) MADAM DOLCE looks next best and she should close for another share.
Race 4 – (6) AWORLDLY GOODTIMES performed much better when he raced at this level here last week, and while post 6 is no picnic, he should have a decent chance vs. this group. (2) LAVECS MUSCLE GIRL disappointed at odds of 3 to 5 last time when the choice finished ahead of her but based on her overall form, she should be one of the main contenders in this spot. (9) BARBIES CROWN debut race wasn’t bad. She could enter contention here.
Race 5 – (4) HIGHLAND SALSA has drawn poorly in every start since wiring the field on October 18th at Leamington. She might be able to clear to the front quickly here and she gets the call to upset. (1) HEARTBEATNSIZZLE is the obvious danger coming off a strong effort and drawing the rail; using. (2) ROCK N ROLL DOODLE raced decently last week at Flamboro and she seems to fit well here. She’s the third one that I’ll use in multi-race tickets.
Race 6 – (2) BUILT STRONG has one win and it came at this track three starts back where he led all the way. He should have a very good chance of doing the same here and he is a Pick 4 single for me in this spot. (1) HALL OF SECRETS should go much better here if he stays flat and he should be the main threat to the choice. (3) HEY ARCH is the morning line favorite but he seems more likely to take a share than a win tonight. (8) INCREDIBLE HALLY rarely misses the top four. She should be in the High-5 if she stays flat. (4) KADS KISS should get position early and stick around to take a small slice.
Race 7 – (3) BIG DIAMOND comes off a sharp win from the 7-hole and moving inside gives her a very good chance to repeat tonight. (2) COCO BEACH DE VIE won two of her last three at this level and she is the one that the choice will have to fend off. (1) COUNT TO THREE gets post advantage here and she could be a pocket rocket in the lane. She’s not out of this.
Race 8 – (3) MISSYS MAGIC MAN is in tremendous form and he has compiled a great record this year. He’s hard to go against in this spot. (1) AUSSIE LOVER should appreciate the easier company here as he drops out of the Harvest series. He should be an Exacta factor tonight. (2) ETERNAL JEWEL similarly should go better here facing easier but I prefer to use her underneath in this spot.
Race 9 – (1) BLUEWATER BEACH finally draws a good post and I’ll side with her to turn the tables on probable favorite (2) LADYLIKE who is always dangerous in this class, obviously. This should be an easier spot for (5) GREY BELL and I see her hitting the board against these conditioned claimers.
Race 10 – This is a good spot for (3) ELLA if she can stay flat. I’ll give her a slight nod over (2) ATALANTA EXPRESS who raced tough first-over last week to win here and is the probable favorite. (5) PEARLS GIRL should get involved early this week and she is the third logical contender in this six pack.
Race 11 – (1) PACIFIC DELIGHT almost beat a filly on November 20th in London that has already come back to win twice more. I’ll take a stab with her in a tough race. (9) WHATAREALBADGIRL would be the top choice if she drew a spot on the gate but from post 9 it’s hard to predict her trip and she will likely be overbet. (3) SOMETHING ROYAL is dangerous starting from an inside post. Give her a look for the late Pick 4. (6) SWEET NAN is capable of better than she showed last week. She’s on my High-5 ticket. (4) BETTER DAYS AHEAD’s first start back was decent and she can take a share here.
Photo by John Watkins
*
Garnet Barnsdale is a veteran handicapper, bettor and racing writer who has worked as an analyst for DRF Harness for the past five years. He is also the current President of the Canadian Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association.
More Tips from the Pros