Mike Battaglia's Picks
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2020
RACE 1
UNCLE EARL just missed in his debut and was well clear of the third-place finisher in that one. He should move forward in his second start and rates the edge in the opener. BANANA PEPPER drops in class and figures to be the one to beat at this level. KHALFANI debuts for William Morey, who has good numbers with his first timers.
RACE 2
DUSTY MILLER looked good breaking her maiden and ran against better just last week. Give her the nod in a wide open race. TARNISH has only had two races and should improve. IMAJIMMYCREED is a solid threat.
RACE 3
SOCIAL CIRCLE was dropped to the bottom last out and came away with a solid win. She can make it two in a row with Ramos back aboard for Genaro Garcia. GIRLS GOT TRACK has the outside post but has the speed to be on or near the lead and will be tough to catch. SHE’S ALOTTA WOMAN fits in here.
RACE 4
MAN OF BLUES has been in the money in six of his last seven races and has the speed to make the lead tonight. He should win this one at short odds. GOT THE NOTION was a couple lengths behind the top pick last out and looks second best. NOT SO QUIET MAN takes the class drop and has to be considered.
RACE 5
POSTIMPRESSIONIST was second in his first race back after an eight-month layoff. He looks like another good bet to win as the favorite. PULL ME BACK will like the move back to six furlongs and should be running at the end. SOUTHERN HUMOR is a contender.
RACE 6
PIONEER DANCER moves up in class after two straight wins over this track. He faces tougher competition this evening but is capable of extending his streak at decent odds. UNITE THE MASSES was overmatched last out but is back in for a tag tonight and is the one to beat. CALL WEST could be dangerous if left alone on the front end.
RACE 7
BINGWA is a lightly raced 4-year-old from the barn of Wes Ward. She definitely has talent but has been off since an easy win at Aqueduct back in May. She has been training steadily over this track for the past three months and figures to be ready to fire tonight. TAKE CHARGE ANGEL is also a talented runner who is in the capable hands of Ben Colebrook. She also makes her 4-year-old debut this evening and has been training well at Keeneland. SUGARSUGARSUGAR has been running well recently and figures to be closing under J. D. Ramos.
RACE 8
GUN OF GLORY lost all chance when he broke very slowly in his debut. He made up some ground late and could be tough with a better start tonight. BRONZE MEDAL drops in class and is definitely the one to beat. SANDERLIN drops in class and posted a recent bullet work.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020
RACE 1
ABBY’S DESTINY drops to the bottom and appears to be in a good spot to get her maiden win for Byron Hughes with Julie Burke back aboard. LIVE IT UP has the speed to be on or near the lead and is the one to catch. SMARTIE ARTIE has only had three races and can improve.
RACE 2
FERLIN HUSKY figures to make the lead in here and is capable of the wire-to-wire score. RICHIESONARAMPAGE looks like the main competition. HENNY HEFNER needed his last race and rates a chance.
RACE 3
SHORELY just missed last out when dropped to this level. A repeat of that one makes him a winner tonight. DRAGON DREW will be running at the end and Jimenez picks up the mount. BRILLIANT BOY could add value to the gimmicks.
RACE 4
FRILLS has shown steady improvement for Ben Colebrook and comes off a solid maiden win. She has the speed to be in contention throughout and can make it two in a row with Jimenez back aboard. LADY WORTHINGTON has been off since November but has been training very well for her comeback. She figures to be tough to beat with Corrales picking up the mount for Wes Ward. SUGAR LOVE showed big improvement in her first try on the Poly and rates a chance.
RACE 5
CORA ANNE likes this track and looked good winning last out. She figures to be running late in this one and can make it two in a row with Ramos back aboard. PURE SUGAR drops in class and has the speed to be on or near the lead. She is definitely the one to catch. MOMENTA KAT can run well at decent odds.
RACE 6
SNIPER KITTEN threw in a clunker last out but that was his first race in four months and he faded after chasing an impressive front-running winner. He has had three works since then and can be expected to run much better for Mike Maker tonight. TORAZO is also trained by Maker. He loves this track and has to be respected. MR. CHOW rates a chance.
RACE 7
HORSE DOCTOR is a well-bred Calumet runner who looked good breaking his maiden at Fair Grounds two starts back. He was no match for a runaway winner last out but that one came back to win a stakes race in his next start. He is on the also-eligible list but would be the top pick for Jack Sisterson if he draws in. HEMP HEMP HURRAY was claimed from a win and came back to run third in the Forego for his new connections. He is the one to beat. TALE OF FAME is good right now and has to be considered.
RACE 8
ENGLISH CHALLENGE drops back in for a tag after a couple of decent efforts against better. He looks best of the ones who have raced. ARTEMUS CITYLIMITS debuts for the always tough team of the Ramseys and Ward. He posted a recent bullet work and figures to run well with Corrales aboard. SPINING INDYNIABLY is also a first-timer from the top barn of Steve Asmussen. His works aren’t flashy but he has to be respected with Jimenez up.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2020
RACE 1
BELLE MAGIE stumbled a bit leaving the gate last out and was never in contention. A better start could make her a winner on the class drop. STYLISH KITTEN was third in her debut and should move forward tonight. She looks like the main competition. ENTHRONED rates a chance.
RACE 2
VALYCOVE finished fourth despite some problems in the stretch last out. Chelsey Coady drops him in class and he looks best with Virginia Tormey back aboard. SEVENHEARTSWARRIOR comes off a dull effort but a return to his best makes him the one to beat. JINGLE ME THIS will be running at the end.
RACE 3
MY MAIKO comes off a narrow loss at this level and appears to be in a good spot to pick up her maiden win tonight. TARA’S Z VA has only had one race and figures to improve. RHODA’S JEWELL is a contender.
RACE 4
MUNY ME TOO has the speed to be in contention throughout and rates a slight edge in a well matched race. BOURNE IN NIXA broke poorly last out and will be running at the end tonight. AT GUARD has two wins at this distance and has to be considered.
RACE 5
JUST ANOTHER JOHN drops to the bottom and hooks a fairly weak field. Give him the edge. VALID STORM is questionable at the distance but should make the lead and could be tough to catch. MINE N YOURS is a contender.
RACE 6
MY GIRL ROCKET ran evenly in her first try on the Poly and should improve off that effort. LINER has won two in a row (was disqualified from one) and figures to be the one to catch. MIKAYLA ATTACK comes off a solid win and is a threat.
RACE 7
HOWARD OF LUCK ran a decent race in his debut over this track and was second behind a repeat winner at Mahoning Valley. He has the speed to be in contention throughout and gets the nod. Ken and Sarah Ramsey have what looks to be a powerful entry with a couple of first-time starters. ARTEMUS CITYLIMITS posted a recent bullet work for Wes Ward and AMERICAN SOLUTION is also training well for Mike Maker. Both are capable of running well in this one. SPINNING INDYNIABLY debuts for Steve Asmussen and has to be considered.
RACE 8
DRAMA RUN usually has good early speed but broke slowly last out and was never in contention. A better start will make her tough with Jimenez back aboard for Steve Cahill. STORM TEMPLE PILOT needed her last race after a four-month layoff and figures to move forward off that effort. CONSTANCIA is another one who didn’t show her customary early foot last out and is a contender.
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