Trainer Jerry Gourneau saddles Ovid Fasti in Race 8 on Saturday.
by Rob
The Pick-4 and the Pick-5 have both been carried over to the Friday, May 11 card of live racing at ASD and we’re looking forward to diving into the pools in search of a lucrative score!
The Pick-4 starts in Race 4 with a carryover of $5,169 dollars. The Pick-5 starts in Race 2 and features a carryover of $399. The Pick-4 pool could grow to as much as $15,000 by the time betting closes. The Pick-5 pool will probably be in the $1,000 range.
Both multi-race wagers look very tough, as the fields are big and competitive. Congratulations are in order for Downs CEO Darren Dunn, Racing Secretary Ray Miller and Assistant Racing Secretary Dustin Davis, for venturing off into the world to find horses that would enjoy a summer at ASD. If Friday and Saturday’s cards become the norm, this will be one of the best years in memory at ASD.
The first two legs of the Pick-5 both look straightforward. There are a group of horses in each race that hold a fitness edge and they should have enough speed to be up close early, especially Backhanded Jane in Race 3, who ships in from Charles Town with new trainer Gary Aimonetti.
The race replays for the horses shipping in can be watched online at www.HPIBet.com if you have an account there, with the exception of the replays for the Fonner Park shippers (Gourneau and Ecoffey barns), which can be found online at www.FonnerPark.com.
If you only have time to watch one race, make sure to check out the last-race replay of Service Time in Race 1 on Friday. He is an example of a horse that showed much more than the program says he did. Hint: Watch the whole race, not just the far turn and the stretch drive.
The first leg of the Pick-4 features three first-time starters, and one of them might be good enough to beat what is otherwise is a weak field. The first one I prefer is Our No Nah Me, trained by Chad Torevell. She has shown some lick in the mornings and Torevell thought enough of her to take her to Phoenix to train. She fits the same pattern as that of Danger Rules, who finished second in last Sunday’s feature race.
Sonho should be the overwhelming favorite in Race 4, but a 17-start maidens scares me, especially one who has run second five times. That being said, she does join the barn of trainer Ardell Sayler, which should help. Sonho has a form very similar to last Sunday’s fifth race winner Sir Sherman, for the same owner, trainer and jockey combination.
Friday’s feature goes as Race 7 and it looks like a tough race with a competitive field of 10. The horses I’m inclined to take a closer look at are Oops and a Half, who has been running at Oaklawn Park and Will Rogers Downs; Queen’s Rite, who won at Santa Anita over the winter going a route of ground; and Nervous Marvin who was claimed out of his last start at Tampa Bay Downs.
Something to note about the two Tom Gardipy Jr. trained-horses in Race 7, Fresh Ice and Nervous Marvin, is that they were both recently claimed from Midwest Thoroughbreds. That is always a slight warning sign, but Gardipy Jr. has proven over the years that he can win with these types (including a win and a second with fresh horses on opening day), and they should both be good odds.
Looking towards Saturday’s card, which features two wide open Manitoba-bred races, make sure you take a long look at Nickers ‘N Lace in Race 5. She looked stunning while schooling on opening day.
Also take a good look at Ovid Fasti in Race 8 on Saturday. Trained by sharp conditioner Jerry Gourneau, Ovid Fasti has been racing this spring at Fonner Park, and she won five times here last year against much tougher company.
Good Luck!