Spiral Stakes Pick-5
It’s always good to visit Florence, Kentucky and Turfway Park, and that is exactly where I will be for tomorrow’s Spiral Stakes Day. Besides covering their signature race, and enjoying the day of racing, I will be looking to walk out with more in my wallet than a Zaxby’s coupon. With that in mind, I will be zeroing in on the late Pick 5 anchored by the Bourbonette Oaks and the Spiral.
Race 7 – The sequence begins with an allowance/optional claimer for older males running a flat mile over Turfway’s Polytrack. From the powerful combo of Ken & Sarah Ramsey and Mike Maker, Lucky Kitten looks the best horse in the race, and I will be singling him in one ticket. He has failed as the favorite in his last two, though, so I will have others on the second ticket, including Mygalsal, and a couple with attractive odds in Sunday Hat, and Shakeyogroovething.
Race 8 – Next comes a six furlong maiden special weight for three-year-old males. In here, I am going with the speed on the rail. Magic Apple has flashed a high turn of pace in each of his first four tries at four different tracks, and now likely finds his easiest spot yet in his synthetics debut. I see the son of Hard Spun taking them all the way. I’ll use the favorite, Bigger Than Boss, as a saver play. Late Scratch - Bigger Than Boss
Race 9 – In another allowance/optional claimer for older males running a flat mile, this one has attracted a tougher bunch than the 7th. My top selection, and at 8-1 on the morning line, is Sultry Cat. His previous two races over synthetic surfaces were excellent, and he needed his last at Sam Houston. It’s a wide open affair, though, so I will spread it out a bit, with Bel Air Bullet, and his sharp form at Turfway, being the one that most scares me. Late Scratch - Bel Air Bullet
Race 10 – My top longshot pick of the weekend is Walking the Kitten in the Bourbonette. The daughter of Kitten’s Joy has run sneaky good races on turf in each of her races, other than when she bolted at Gulfstream Park West. She gets blinkers on for her second start of the season, and should be ready to take to the Polytrack in a big way. I’d like her at lower odds, but at 15-1 on the morning line, I am licking my chops. Of the rest, the classy Sharla Rae, the speedy Sweet Success, and the streaking Harlan’s Destiny, are the most likely to stop my longshot pick.
Race 11 - With the scratch of Imperia, I like Metaboss as the most likely winner of the Spiral. He is getting better with every start, has an explosive closing kick, and is proven on synthetics. My value play in the race will be the Tom Amoss trained Wireless Future, who comes in with a three-race win streak, including a seven length victory in his latest. I suspect the son of Scat Daddy will take to Polytrack just fine. Of the rest, I will take a stand against the morning line favorite, Royal Son, and instead will look to Another Lemon Drop and Conquest Typhoon as my others.
The Play: Two 50-cent Pick 5’s ... 2/1,2,3/1,2,3,5,8/2,8/4,5,9,11 = $60
and 1,2,3,6/1/5/2,6,7,8/4,11 = $16 … for a total of $76 Best of luck, everyone. Hopefully we can pad our bankrolls for a big day of racing next week, which includes the Dubai World Cup, Florida Derby, and Louisiana Derby.