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Laurel Park: Spot plays and horses to watch, November 6

by | Nov 6, 2017 | Breaking, Handicapping, Maryland

Rapid Dan

Rapid Dan (#2) cruised to victory in an allowance at Laurel Park. Photo by The Racing Biz.

Gary Quill is taking a brief hiatus from his GQ Approach full-card picks and analysis. In his stead, we present daily spot plays and horses to watch. Good luck!

First post today is 12:30 p.m. The late Pick 5 has a carryover of $3129.47. The Super Hi 5 has a carryover of $2,751.78. The Jackpot Rainbow Pick 6 has a carryover of $485.87. Ten races are on the card. Laurel Park is off the turf today; all races will be run on the main track.

  • The fourth race is a maiden special weight test for two-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the main track, and there are plenty of ways to go in here. The favorite in here is #6 Make It Run (5-2), and she’s as likely a winner as any. She ran third on debut in a race at Delaware from which the only runner to return won next out. Also, note that she was bet down to 1-2 odds on debut; Larry Jones knows how to win with two-year-olds, and those odds suggest the word was out on her first time. Be wary of her here; Brian Pedroza will ride. Second choice is a Mike Trombetta-trained combo of #1/1a Slews Alley/Souper Striking (3-1), the latter of which is more enticing, having run fifth and third in two prior tries; last out she set the pace but couldn’t go with the better sorts in a slow early-fast late race the runner-up of which broke her maiden next out. Two others worth consideration here are #3 Frechette (5-1) and #2 Baccarat Fashion (12-1). The former, trained by Graham Motion had an adventurous trip on debut but closed willingly to be a near-miss second. One of three to run back has won, and this one will get Lasix for the first time. Finally, it appears it’s worth noting Bruno Tessore firsters, like Baccarat Fashion, at Laurel; he’s 3-for-10 sending out horses to debut in maiden special weight company with seven in-the-money finishes, including a win on Friday. This horse has a spotty work record, though note the August 20 bullet, fasted of 96 at a half-mile. Jockey Sheldon Russell lands here, rather than Slews Alley, whom he rode first out.

  • The seventh is an allowance for two-year-olds that will come off the grass onto the dirt at 5 1/2 furlongs. We’re a little bit interested here in #8 Oldfashioned Club (10-1). The Jamie Ness-trained son of Old Fashioned turned some heads at Delaware Park in June when he broke his maiden by 8 1/2 lengths in a five-furlong test. But he didn’t race between then and October 22, when he returned to action with a fifth-place finish at Parx Racing. That was a pretty solid group he saw that day, though, so we’re not inclined to hold it too harshly against him; in his second off a four month break, he has the right to move forward here, which would put him right in the mix. Daniel Centeno will ride.

  • The eighth is a six-furlong allowance sprint on the dirt for older runners that’s attracted a tough field. The favorite here is #8 Clubman (5-2), who ran a good fourth in the Maryland Million Classic. But we’re not too inclined to take short odds on him here; his three wins are all at longer distances, and he’s likely to have a lot to do late in this one. Of more interest is #4 Discreet Heat. (6-1). The Phil Schoenthal trainee is making his third start off of a nearly-one-year break, which occurred after he broke his maiden, a race which produced two next-out winners. His return, in mid-September on the grass, was non-descript, but his follow-up, a second in an allowance was solid. The winner returned Sunday to be second against second allowance foes, and one of the other three to run back won on the drop-down. This guy likewise has a chance to run well in this spot.