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Laurel Park: Spot plays and horses to watch, November 19

by | Nov 19, 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 12:30 p.m. The late Pick 5 has a carryover of $5,177.41. The Super Hi 5 has no carryover. The Jackpot Rainbow Pick 6 has a carryover of $1,291.80. Nine races are on the card, four scheduled for the turf.

Check out the GQ’s Approach podcast below, focusing on maidens!

  • The second race is a $16,000 claimer for horses that have never won two going 1 1/16 miles on the turf that’s attracted a full field of runners looking to get one (or two) last turf start in before it’s dirt only for the winter locally. Chances are, whoever wins this one is going to pay decently; the morning line favorite, #8 On the Wings Of, is 4-1 on the morning line and certainly merits consideration in your wagering decisions. Of more interest to us, though, is the Katherine Neilson trainee #2 Change of View (5-1). The Bullet Train gelding returns to the flat after two not-so-great tries over jumps; excluding the jumps tries, he’s got a turf record of 3-1-1-1, and this race shapes up as one with some early lick to set up his late run. He broke his maiden – in his last flat try – at a slightly higher claiming level, so this is the right spot to try winners. Forest Boyce will ride.

  • The fifth is a $42,000 allowance on the main track for two-year-olds going a mile, and two of these seem likely to attract all the bettors’ attention. #2 Believe in Royalty (5-2), a Larry Jones trainee, was a $900,000 auction purchase and why not? He’s a Tapit colt out of G1 Kentucky Oaks winner Believe You Can. This runner was third after a wide trip on debut before breaking his maiden in his second start going a mile at Laurel; one of six from his maiden score returned to win. Alex Cintron is up for Larry Jones. #3 Rivington (9-5) was the easiest kind of winner for trainer Graham Motion in his debut, at Delaware Park in September. The son of To Honor and Serve will try a route of ground for the first time here and will make his first start in two months. One handicapping note here: #7 Threes Over Deuces (5-1) won pretty easily last out against $40,000 maiden claimers; a couple of rivals he beat that day, including the runner-up Yes Means No, are in today’s first, which might help you get a read on this runner.
  • Three-year-old She’s Achance Too (2-1) showed promise earlier this year, finally breaking her maiden — in her sixth try — at the end of the Pimlico meet in May. She beat a good group that day that included two next out winners, including Smiling Causeway who, since then, has won three times and been stakes-placed twice. The daughter of Redeemed hasn’t run since — and trainer Jason Egan has a winless record in nine tries off similar layoffs — but she’s been training forwardly for this, including a bullet five-eighths a week back. Regular pilot Jevian Toledo, who’s ridden her all six times to date, has the mount. She has fired fresh before — running second off a four-plus month break in March — and if she’s right today, she wins here.