Turfway Park’s Bruce Battaglia provides daily picks and comments for the Tribune during the live racing meets.
Wednesday, Dec. 14
RACE 2 V C F PROUD MARY is hard to bet against. She loves Turfway Park and this one will run her best race for Anderson. PRETTYHOTPRINCESS ran right behind the top one last out and Eric Reed is a solid trainer. She has a chance tonight. CHARIOT CHAR was third off the layoff and gets top rider Alonso Quinonez. She needs to get faster than she has been running but should figure in the gimmicks.
RACE 3 UNION RATE is dropping in class and stretching out this race. He should improve going long with this good post and Jack Gilligan in the irons. SYROX is also dropping but hasn’t shown anything but the 35 Beyer two races back but that may be enough to win in this spot. ROGUE RANGER also drops in class and gets the hot rider Villasana and with some speed may be able to get loose on the stretch out.
RACE 4 SUNRISE COUNTESSA has been running very deep at Mountaineer and if she run a little faster she has the perfect post and setup coming to see how she really is. LOOK WHO’S HERE like the polytrack and gets Prescott but stuck on the inside and will have to overcome that. GIRARDONI has the dreaded rail as well, which has been a death trap so far this meet but may just be the best horse in this race and could win despite that.
RACE 5 MR. SONG is the obvious one in here. This Unbridled’s Song colt has been running at Gulfstream. Gets a top jock tonight in Abel Lezcano and if he is ready he will beat this field. GET PERMISSION is cliff dropping but has to wake up in a hurry. This level may do it for him. SAYLOR’S STORM has the perfect post and style if he is good enough .
RACE 6 KITTEN’S MATRIARCH may not be too much for Ward but she doesn’t need to be just good enough to beat this suspect group. If she can run at all she breaks her maiden tonight. MISS FRANK E and LITTLEGRAYWITCH are the next two obvious choices in here with similar forms they will try to stalk and pounce but have to overcome inside posts.
RACE 7 IS THAT JACK was second off a long layoff and drops to a new level getting back on the Polytrack which he likes a lot. ROTTAKEN was crushed last week and is coming back quick with a major step up in class. MALLEABLE needs to prove the Poly is okay with him and gets Lexcano tonight. He could be a surprise here. I wouldn’t leave him out of the gimmicks.
RACE 8 LADY CARRINGTON looks good here and has a second off the layoff with a huge drop in class. Great connections of Brad Cox and jockey Quinonez and a good post. Couldn’t’ ask for anything more. PICK POCKET for Mike Maker and Channing Hill have a chance on the turn back but the layoff is a concern. GERMAN EDITION for Motion is a mystery on the ship in from the east coast. The numbers put her in the mix without a doubt.
RACE 9 APPLE ADDIE was second off the layoff. She has good speed and with Ouzts will be very tough in here. TRULY TRUDY also had a layoff after running all summer at Indiana Grand. She is dropping in class and could stalk and pounce tonight. ZEUS’S THUNDER has a big shot here to upset if he can stay close then swoop them in the lane.