By Joe Quillen
Monday 3/18/24 – Will Rogers Downs Race 7 & Parx Race 9
Happy Monday everyone and today, I am adding a second race for a reason. First, the featured race is the seventh race at Will Rogers Downs, which is in Oklahoma, and I’m adding the ninth race at Parx, which is of major interest to us here at Bleacher Brothers, as our unofficial horse, Uncle Ernie is running today.
Usually when I have multiple races like this, I like to go in sequential order. But since Uncle Ernie is running today, I thought I’d make you wait for it.
Will Rogers Downs Race 7 – Blue Ribbon Stakes
The first race I will look at is the seventh at Will Rogers Downs in Oklahoma, which is the Blue Ribbon Stakes for three-year-old fillies going six furlongs. This race goes to the post at approximately 4:57 pm Eastern time.
Slightly favored on the morning line in the Blue Ribbon is the 7 Lady Zephyr (3/1 odds). She defeated $30,000 non-winners of two races lifetime last time out in December at Remington Park, which is the premiere track in Oklahoma. Both times she has won, she has been on the front end. But most of these fillies are coming off of layoffs or are second race off a layoff because the Oklahoma racing season just began a few weeks ago.
If Lady Zephyr isn’t challenged for the lead here, she might just go gate to wire. The 5 Kiss and Tell (7/2 ML) looks like the horse that could challenge her on the inside. She hasn’t run since last October at Remington but has been training for this over the last month.
The 3 Rainbow Angel (5/1 ML) does have a race over the track already, having won an allowance against older fillies. It doesn’t look like there was that much in that race, but she was never that far off the pace and finished strongly to outkick Okie Trouble (#8, 6/1 ML) who had a four-wide trip yet still closed well despite losing ground on the turn. But it does look like Okie Trouble might have the same outside trip.
I think facing older, though it was just four-year-olds and having a race under their belts will help Rainbow Angel and Okie Troubleimmensely. I think the 2 Red Rose Café (12/1 ML) will get a piece of this having run four times and shortening up to six furlongs after a mile maiden race at Sam Houston.
I’m calling this 3-7-9-2 and my play is $20 to win on the 3.
Parx Race 9
And then we will look at the ninth race at Parx as this is Uncle Ernie’s race. We have seven older horses going six furlongs in an optional claiming event. Post time for this race is at approximately 4:20 pm Eastern time.
Uncle Ernie (9/2 ML) draws the 5 post for today’s race. He is second race off of a layoff after spending the winter in South Florida and had a workout after his return to the races at Parx. Needed that race, and probably wasn’t that reacclimated to his surroundings in Bensalem. He should be ready, but the question is what speed will be there today.
The 3 Dollarization (5/2 ML) is the morning line favorite here, and if I can catch it, I will play Tim Kreiser trained horses, who mostly runs at Penn National near Harrisburg, PA. He always seems to win 20 to 25 percent of his races year after year since 2011. The horse comes in Laurel Park where he has been close the last three or four times out, and has shown he can be a few lengths behind, which might be beneficial here.
The horses that could challenge Uncle Ernie down the backstretch appear to be the 4 Hushion (10/1 ML), who was steaded past the half-mile pole In his first race in three months, and Five Dreams (#7, 3/1 ML) who won a $40,000 claimer last time out in the slop 12 days ago. He was claimed by Jamie Ness, who is the top trainer on the grounds in terms of wins. But he does look like he is beatable here, especially if the speed duel I expect develops.
The intriguing horse to me is the 6 Scaramouche (10/1 ML). Around this time of the year, you start seeing horses migrating northwards from South Florida from the Championship Meet. He had no chance in the Gulfstream Park Sprint and gets a class relief here. He is a Grade 2 winner having won the Gallant Bob here at Parx in 2022.He’s won six of eight at Parx as well.
Now, I know AJ will kill me for this, but I am leaning away from Uncle Ernie here. I want to make some money here. I’ll take Scaramouche in a big upset here. I’m calling this 6-3-5-4, and my play is $20 to win on the 6.
Good luck everyone, and I hope I threw away $20 to see Uncle Ernie win!
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