By Joe Quillen
Wednesday 1/24/24 – Tampa Bay Race 9
After a couple of days off, Quills Picks Winners returns with a trip down to Tampa Bay Downs for their Wednesday finale. Ten horses go to the gate for this allowance going a mile and an eighth on the turf. Looks like the race will be on the turf, with a post time of approximately 4:30 pm ET.
I’ll begin with the 2 Take Me to Jimmy (2/1 morning line favorite). He’s a horse that is bred for grass and won back in November on the grass at Aqueduct. After a lay up and some workouts in South Florida, he heads up I-75 to Oldsmar with a chance to win two in a row.
The 9 Hendrickson (6/1 ML) is third race off of a 13-month layoff, so if you’re the type of person that likes that betting angle, this may be your horse. First race back be barely lost at a mile and a sixteenth at Laurel and was only three lengths back in his Tampa Bay Downs debut last time out. If he can get that ninth furlong in this race, he’s got a great shot today.
Junipero Serra (#10, 7/2 ML) might have drawn the outside, but he will have time to make a move in the final few furlongs of this race. He finally broke his maiden last time out on his ninth try, but the light might have turned on for him. Also, don’t worry about the synthetic rces, He almost run going longer at Woodbine going longer, so stamina won’t be an issue.
The 5 Ready to Fly (8/1 ML) may just be doing that at the end of this race, as he is probably the strongest closer in this race. If he has the perfect setup, which I think he will, he will win this.
I’m calling this race 5-2-9-10 in the Wednesday finale and my play is $20 to win on the 5. Good luck everyone!
I will be updating everything from this past weekend on Thursday’s edition of the QPW.
Follow Joe on Twitter/Instagram/Threads @JoeQuills. Check out the Bleacher Brothers Show from 8 to 10 pm Eastern Time on the Tony Bruno Sports Network app! Also check Joe’s sports stream podcast on Twitch every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 pm ET, and his YouTube channel where you can catch the show on demand.
