HORSE RACING

Charles Town Horse Racing Picks for Friday 5/22/20

With most of the sports world on pause, it's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.

Starting at 7 p.m. EST today, we have eight races at Charles Town. Using our projections as a guide, here's a look at some of the best bets.

As always, keep an eye out for scratches and changes.

(I will be referencing Equibase's Speed Figure, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions)

Grandpa Louie and Widget Factory, Race 3

FD Racing Odds: 7/5 and 7/2

Grandpa Louie is the betting favorite and our model's top choice -- so this is far from a bold pick. Both he and Widget Factory have excellent form coming in. Grandpa Louie has raced twice at Charles Town in 2020, posting Speed Figures of 78 and 54 -- the gelding finished second and third, respectively.

Widget Factory has seen his Speed Figures increase in consecutive races and will look to keep that momentum going in his Charles Town debut. DailyHorsePicks gives Grandpa Louie a 46 percent chance of placing first, more than double of any other horse. Widget Factory is given 17 percent odds.

Yesus Star (4/1) hasn't raced in 2020, but his form was trending up to end 2019, and his early May workout was quite impressive.

Mandy, Race 6

FD Racing Odds: 5/2

Mandy is another horse that's both the betting favorite and our model's projected winner, but her form is hard to ignore. The filly has had Speed Figures of 69 or better in six of her last seven efforts. DHP gives her a 97 percent chance of placing top-three, well ahead of any other horse in Race 6. She is the heavy favorite but for good reason.

One Fat Kat (6/1) has more appealing odds and could give Mandy a run for her money. The filly is ranked first by DHP in speed rating and pace among the horses in this race, and she placed first in her only outing here a year ago. In her workout 10 days ago, she ranked first of 21 horses.

House of Love (5/1) won here her last time out two months ago, has great form, and her early may workout was superb. The mare has to be considered.

He's a Gold Digger, Race 7

FD Racing Odds: 3/1

Our model likes He's a Gold Digger to place first in Race 7, and given his form, it makes sense. The gelding has had Speed Figures of 60-plus in six straight efforts, including 78 and 77 in his last two. DHP gives him a race-high 97 percent odds of finishing top-three, including a 39 percent chance of placing first. He's a good play in this one.

Betting favorite The Seven Five (5/2) merits serious consideration as well. He hasn't raced in nearly a year, but his workout here a week ago saw him rank first among 57 other horses. It's worth noting that this race is significantly longer than said workout -- seven furlongs to four -- though the gelding is no stranger to this distance, as both of his career victories have come at seven furlongs.

Meldon's (5/1) recent form has been up-and-down, but he has proven capable of winning similar races.

Boundtobebad, Race 8

FD Racing Odds: 7/2

numberFire's algorithm likes Boundtobebad to place first in Race 8. The filly has won three of her four career races and has posted Speed Figures of 78, 80, and 72 in her last three. Her workout in early May showed great form. DHP has her second in speed rating and in pace and gives her 62 percent odds of placing first.

It's hard not to like the form Manarola (5/1) has coming in. She has won back-to-back races and has posted consecutive Figures above 70. It's worth noting that both of her victories came at the same distance as tonight's race -- 4.5 furlongs.

Angle of Attack (4/1) has also won consecutive races with impressive speed. She had an intriguing workout here a week ago. Betting favorite Coach Rube's (3/1) last performance was underwhelming, but her workout at Charles Town on May 15th was best among 28 horses. Undeniable Touch (15/1) is a longshot worth considering.