Friday's Monmouth Pick 5 zeros in on turf opportunity
The late Pick 5 on Friday at Monmouth Park is an intriguing sequence featuring a pair of turf races, the second of which goes as race 7 and features an opportunity to beat the favorites.
The condition claiming race is for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds or older, who have never won two races. The price tag is $16,000. The 7-2 morning-line favorite is No. 6 Unbounded Movement, who has never dropped this low and taken money against better. She is dangerous as a front-end presence on the drop in class, but her Brisnet pace ratings do not give a lot of confidence in her late kick against a group that should keep her company up front.
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No. 9 Beckett's Map is similarly priced at 4-1 on the morning line but is marooned on the outside, and I'm not sure the drop in class is enough for this one to step forward, which she would need to do whereas Unbounded Movement does not.
So knowing I'm comfortable leaving off both Unbounded Movement and Beckett's Map from my Pick 5 has me interested in playing. The two horses absolutely on my ticket will be No. 1 U Know When U Know and No. 7 Spooky Gal, which covers the race from both pace perspectives.
U Know When U Know should have plenty of pace to run into in her first start for the Joseph Pantaleo barn. She was way out of it last out against similar at Laurel but is worth a play here that she can move forward in a second-time turf route for new connections. Spooky Girl was never in it against allowance foes in her lone turf try, but she deserves another chance with the class relief, and new jockey Samy Comacho is a 24% rider on the grass.
The other legs of this Pick 5 are more straightforward, which is why I'm willing to go thin in race 7 to try to beat chalk and open this thing up.
The pick 5 begins with race 4 at 3:22 p.m. EDT. Click here to opt in to our TwinSpires BetShare!
Coverage of the Monmouth Park meeting is provided in part through a marketing partnership with Darby Development.