Woodbine Racetrack presents a $50,000 guaranteed pool for its early Pick-4 on Monday evening, and WEG’s track announcer Ken Middleton scanned through Races 4 thru 7 to come up with a plan of attack for constructing a ticket.
Here are Middleton’s thoughts on a Pick-4 ticket for tonight:
Race 4
A conditioned/claiming event for trotters kicks off tonight’s Pick-4, and it features a mixture of classy veterans and steady performers. I’ll start off my ticket with the following four contenders:
#2 MOTOR INN owns a low win percentage, but I’m willing to overlook that and focus on the fact that he gets to work from another great post after a front-end attempt backfired in his latest tilt. The gelding has picked up cheques in his first three starts since moving to trainer Kevin O’Reilly’s barn. He has the speed needed to make some noise in here.
#3 HOMER JAY dropped and popped for a 1:55.1 score two starts ago, but he moved back to this level in his latest outing and was a fast-closing third-place finisher for trainer Don Lindsey. The son of Muscles Yankee gets another great post to work from, and that certainly adds to his appeal. He has the speed to handle this group with the right trip.
#4 ARMBRO CONTINENTAL has missed three weeks of racing for trainer Steve Bossence, who had to be pleased with the way the veteran bounced back in his latest assignment. The classy campaigner can seldom be overlooked. He’s paired up with WEG’s top teamster, Randy Waples. He merits major consideration tonight.
#6 MISTERIZI has bounced back with good-looking efforts in his last two tries for trainer Anthony Montini. The speedy son of Mr Lavec has proved just how versatile he is in his last two starts, and there’s no doubt he has the skills to topple these trotters. Keith Oliver, who just missed guiding him to a win on December 11, returns to the bike.
Race 5
The second leg of tonight’s Pick-4 will see three and four-year-old pacers square off in this non-winners of three races or $50,000 lifetime affair. I’m going to put all my eggs in one basket and zero in on a key horse who turned in a rock solid effort in his most recent outing.
#1 SNIPER SEELSTER turned in an awesome rally in the lane last week, and it nearly earned him the win. Instead, he had to settle for the runner-up award to an upset winner named Legal Justice. Trainer Don Lindsey and partners purchased the pacer privately in the month of November. After a solid debut on November 29 followed by a bit of down time due to sickness, I thought the gelding was fantastic when allowed to chase the speed in that effort on December 20. A repeat of that performance makes him the one to beat.
Race 6
The third leg of tonight’s Pick-4 is the lowest conditioned class offered on the WEG circuit. Here are six horses I’d give serious consideration to:
#3 RED LEAF AGAIN went a long way on the lead before tiring late and finishing second at this level on December 11, but he was horrible in last week’s follow-up attempt. Even thought he’s a low win percentage type, I think he merits respect because of his inside post, his overall speed and the Team Baillargeon factor.
#4 IN THEORY regained some of his lost confidence in back-to-back starts at Windsor Raceway before landing here and finishing a fast-closing fourth last time out. He gets post relief to work with tonight for Team Brewer, and that makes him a serious threat.
#5 RODS FAMOUS RIBS missed nearly a month of racing going into his latest assignment, but he still flashed solid final half speed. It could act as a nice tightener leading up to tonight’s debut for high percentage trainer Dan Taneyhill (.422).
#7 WESTERN RANGE fired home in :55.1 against tougher conditioned foes in last week’s debut for trainer Terry Deters, who finds the gelding a much easier conditioned class this time around. The camera-shy pacer merits a look once again.
#8 FIRE LUCK is another pacer that has struggled to win on a regular basis, but he has to be respected for a couple of factors including his overall speed and the fact he races for Team Allard. He’s capable of getting back on track against this group.
#10 MCAPULCO has had mixed results in his first four starts since shifting to the stable of trainer Dave Menary. He went a long way on the lead last time en route to finishing second, and that was a step in the right direction after finishing a badly beaten eighth in his previous tilt.
Race 7
Bottom level claiming pacers wrap up tonight’s Pick-4 at the $10,000 level. A pair of streaking pacers starts from the inside of the gate:
#1 TAPIOCA BLUES drops in with straight claimers after notching back-to-back wins in a conditioned/claiming class written at Georgian Downs. The pacer loves to win races for a stable that always sends them ready. He figures to play a major role in this tilt.
#2 PACER BAYAMA is undefeated in his first three starts since being claimed for $6,000 and being placed in the barn of trainer John Holmes. The gelding made the move to this oval last time out and front-stepped to a 1:57.1 score. He’ll probably have to fine-tune his speed to keep his winning streak alive in here.
#3 MR BIGGLESWORTH finished up the month of October on a solid note, but he has really struggled to get back on track since then. We’ve seen the duo of trainer Charlie Stewart and driver Jason Brewer click for a number of winners, and that’s why I’m willing to give this gelding one more shot to right the ship.
#5 HEZ BO DIDDY has been knocking on the doors in recent weeks for trainer Tim McFadden. The gelding has demonstrated he’s a versatile campaigner who can work out his own trip luck. He has the speed needed to handle this group.
#8 HAZEL EYES has been a steady cheque-getter since joining forces with trainer Steve Surette, who could get a belated birthday gift from the gelding. The pacer has shown solid speed, and his overall record in 2010 is pretty solid. He merits consideration.
Pick-4 Ticket Summary
Race 4: 2-3-4-6
Race 5: 1
Race 6: 3-4-5-7-8-10
Race 7: 1-2-3-5-8
Cost: $120, or you can pay one-fifth of the price ($24) by playing a $.20 ticket.
(WEG)
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