Check out my Wednesday (5-8-24) Race 2 & 5 analysis at Penn National below.
PEN 2 (OC-25k, PA-bred 3&up, 1 mile 70 yards) – Post Time: 6:14 PM EDT
Primary – #3 RON DON SCORESE, #6 Classic Union
Secondary – #2 Dr. Steve, #5 Houghton Shuffle
Horse Comments:
#3 Ron Don Scorese (5-2) won three of five dirt routes since Jamie Ness claimed him late last year. The 6-time local winner should be tracking likely favorite Dr. Steve from the outset, and hopefully he can pounce on that one and roll to victory.
#6 Classic Union (3-1) earned a competitive speed rating in a dirt route win at Parx on April 9, and the clear runner-up was a next-out winner. He can maintain form in his third start after a layoff.
#2 Dr. Steve (9-5) must be respected as a pace presence but he is an underachiever. He has been the favorite on eight occasions since April 2023, and he only won one of those races, and that was a local route in the mud late last year. He might take too much win action.
#5 Houghton Shuffle (4-1) won his first three dirt sprints, and stretched out, stalked outside, and finished an even third on March 8. He either moves forward in his second route, or regresses and returns to sprint races.
Wagers:
#3 to win
Exacta 3-5-6/2
Trifecta key 3/2-5-6
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PEN 5 (OC-25k, PA-bred f&m, 6f) – Post Time: 7:41 PM EDT
Primary – #1 SIX O’CLOCK SARAH
Secondary – #2 Rusty My Brother, #3 Midnight in Alaska, #4 Aegean Sea
Horse Comments:
#1 Six o’Clock Sarah (5-2) rated from the inside post and rallied to miss by a half-length at Laurel Park on March 24. She hit the board in both previous local starts and does some of her best work at this distance. I can see her working out a nice inside tactical trip behind two front runners.
#2 Rusty My Brother (3-1) makes her first start in half a year, and I am not sure what we are going to get from the synthetic specialist. Presque Isle opens soon and she might be warming up for that meet, but she is stabled there and ships here to run, so the trainer must think that she is ready.
#3 Midnight in Alaska (9-5) got clear and went all the way as the chalk at this course and distance on Feb. 2. She meets other speed and is capable of wiring the field or finishing off the board.
#4 Aegean Sea (8-1) might make life difficult for Midnight in Alaska. She ran out of stamina after setting the pace in a dirt route on April 17. The last time she competed in a dirt sprint, she made the lead and held on by a nose at Parx on Match 17.
Wagers:
#1 to win
Exacta box 1-2
Trifecta key 1/2-3-4
Recent Bettor Bet$ Free Pick Winners
April 15 – Palacein ($7.00), Trifecta ($63.60)
April 16 – Jackman/Connors Outlaw/C W Prize Trifecta ($85.20)
April 19 – Raging Sea ($7.58)
April 22 – Far Mo Power ($17.00), Trifecta ($317.80)
April 23 – Masrour/Neigh Dude Exacta ($6.80)
April 24 – Accede ($5.56), Exacta ($12.52)
April 25 – Bourbon Heist ($5.74)
May 4 – Vahva ($5.44), Exacta ($13.20)
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