PARX PICKS AND HORSES TO WATCH: March 29
Frank Vespe
March 29, 2022
Parx Racing has an 11-race card on tap for this afternoon. Post time for the opener is 12:55 p.m, and we’ve got Parx picks.
Carryovers: Jackpot Pick 5, $96,306
- LRL: Barbadian Runner looks to keep rolling in Small
Barbadian Runner, who turned aside Post Time in the Maryland Million Classic, is a solid favorite in Saturday’s Dickie Small, one of three Saturday stakes.
| RACE NUMBER | CONTENDERS | COMMENTS |
| Race 1 | 7-1-2-6 | Let’s try this again: #7 Leader of the Band (4-5) returned to action a month back at Parx but disappointed, finishing an even third at odds of 1-9. Still, she’s got the best resume of this group — a resume that includes a win in the G3 Monmouth Oaks — and should get a pace to run at today. In her second try off the bench, she can bounce back… Might be a John Servis exacta; he trains Leader of the Band, and he also will send out the speedy #1 Burano (5-1). Burano will get the bug boy Jose Gomez in the irons, as regular pilot Pennington picks Leader of the Band. She ran a distant second in her last, but that was against the talented Divine Huntress. Look for this one to be a major forward factor in the early running… #2 Amaterasu (9-2) makes her third start off a 10-month layoff here. She was throttled by similar two back but bounced back nicely to win a Penn National allowance. While she led throughout most recently, she broke her maiden rallying from mid-flight, suggesting she doesn’t need the early advantage… #6 Argentina Girl (6-1) scored nicely last out in her second try with Lasix… |
| Race 3 | 5-2-1-4 | Fun little contest here: an open allowance/optional claimer for sophomores. We’ll give the nod to #5 Noneedtoworry (7-2). This one has been throttled in each of his last two, but both came in graded company in New York against horses on the Triple Crown trail. The class relief he’ll get today should stand him in good stead, and our suspicion is that trainer Herold Whylie entered the maiden #6 Hotpot (20-1) primarily to make the race go for Noneedtoworry… #2 Vine Jet (2-1) won nicely last out but two back finished behind our top choice… #1 Nimitz (3-1) took a Penn National allowance in last but will have to figure out a way to turn the tables on Vine Jet, who bested him by four two back… #4 Turnpike Bob (6-1) ran big last out over a next-out winner and will get tested for class by these… |
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