CHARLES TOWN SET FOR JAN. 7 SEASON OPENER
A day late – but let’s hope not a dollar short – Charles Town Races will kick off its 2022 season Jan. 7 with a nine-race card featuring four allowance contests.
The track had been slated to open the season Thursday, Jan. 6, but that card was canceled because of weather. It will be made up Wednesday, Jan. 12.
- Trainer Rodney Jenkins passes awayRodney Jenkins, who trained some of Maryland’s most popular recent horses, passed away Thursday at age 80.
The allowance action kicks off in the third race, with six state-bred three-year-olds set to go seven furlongs for a $31,900 purse. The Tim Grams-trained Windsors Tail, a homebred for Dennis Finger, is the 7-5 morning line favorite after back-to-back runner-up finishes in allowance company. Christian Hiraldo will ride.
Grams will try to double up in the next race when he sends out CV’s Powerpak (7-2) in a seven-furlong contest for older fillies and mares. The daughter of Power Broker helped trigger boxcar payouts on the track’s 2021 closing day, Dec. 18, when she won at odds of 33-1. Reshawn Latchman has the return mount.
Boundtobebad, second to CV’s Powerpak last out, is the 9-5 morning line favorite. The John Casey trainee has finished in the trifecta in seven straight. Jose Montano is up.
It took Jackie the Joker four tries to break her maiden, but she’s the 9-5 morning line favorite as she bids for a second straight victory in the seventh race, a 4 ½-furlong allowance dash for sophomore fillies. The Practical Joke filly, trained by Anthony Farrior, will have J. D. Acosta in the irons as she tries the one-turn dash distance for the first time.
Perhaps her top competition figures to come from Miss Central (5-2). The Ned Allard trainee finished second against similar last out and gets blinkers on today. Angel Cruz will ride.
Finally, in the eighth, trainer Javier Contreras will send out morning line favorite Nico (6-5) in a 4 ½-furlong allowance. Nico, a West Virginia-bred son of Trappe Shot, has never been worse than second in six tries at the trip and won three of six starts in 2021 after missing the entire 2020 season. He has five wins and five seconds from 11 career starts, and regular rider Antonio Lopez will do the honors.
Post time for the card is 7:00 p.m.
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1st.Surely you don’t wanna bet against Hurley.
2nd.”Miss Morgantown”will hafta get around “Commcat”but might do dat.
3rd.I’ll be bold and pick”Blue N Gold”.
4th.”Boundtobebad”could be had and cut down by”Navy Sword”.
5th.”Lookingforanewspot”looks”Competent”.
6th.The”Buzzhound”around the”Roof Top Bar”is that””Tommy Pies”makes good tries.
7th.Farrior has no worrier except for “California Suzy”who might be a doozy.
8th.Take a”Shameless Risk”with “Nico”who won’t make you richo.
9th.”Spunky Ali Cat”might be all that but take note of”Better Boat”.
I hope our handicapping will not go to waste and they run on Sunday.