Charles Town picks and horses to watch: August 5

Charles Town Races has an eight-race card on tap for this evening. Post time for the opener is 7:00 p.m., and we’ve got Charles Town picks.

Carryovers: None

Check out our other handicapping here!

RACE

Race 3

CONTENDERS

4-6-7-1

ANALYSIS

Let’s look for a mild upset in this maiden event for two-year-old fillies with #4 Shake It Girl (5-1). The Crystal Pickett trainee had a useful debut when third two weeks back. She had a rough start – banging into the side of the gate, then bumped by a rival — and was green in the lane but still rallied willingly. All of that should set her up for an improved effort tonight… Morning line favorite #6 Cowgirl Shine (7-5) has been training decently towards her debut, and trainer Anthony Farrior wins at a 23% clip with first-time starters… We’re inclined to give another crack to #7 Shes So Speightsy (10-1). Her debut was poor, but that was on turf and against better, so it’s not much of a gauge. Her works on the main track look to be fine… #1 Looking for Flare (8-5) makes her career bow here, and the works, including a bullet three-eighths June 18, look fine. But we can’t escape the feeling that the decision to ship from Laurel to CT to run for a lower purse isn’t a good sign…

Race 5

6-8-7-2

We’ll eat the chalk here with morning line choice #6 Overcooked (6-5). Horses that cost $475,000 as yearlings don’t generally show up at Charles Town while still maidens, but such is the case with this one, who shifts into the Contreras barn and whose two prior main-track tries really aren’t bad. The class relief should tell the tale… As a two-year-old, #8 Enjoy Summer (8-1) didn’t show much, either on the turf in New York or locally when shifted into the Runco barn. But that was a pretty useful return to action in her first start of the season June 24, and she may be set to move forward from there… #7 Asue (9-2) just missed in her only local try for Penn National trainer Flint Stites… Decent effort last time out for Delaware shipper #2 Abby the Bull Dawg (8-1), and a repeat of that makes her a contender here…

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