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 7:00 p.m. EST, we have eight races at Mountaineer Park. Using our numberFire projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.
As always, keep an eye out for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions).
U S S Costly, Race 1
FD Odds: 8/5
A 5 ½ furlong Maiden Special Weight starts the program at 7:00 p.m. EST, and U S S Costly (8/5) is the best of this bunch. He makes his first start as a gelding and breaks from the outside No. 9 post. He finished second in his career debut here May 31 running on the front end. U S S Costly has the top speed and projection at numberFire.
Allaboutbiz (8/1) tracked U S S Costly in his debut before fading to fifth as a longshot. Improvement is expected.
King Shawn (6/1) finished second on June 1 but has shown little speed in five starts. Thirst for Quality (3/1) tries to break through in his 13th start and will try to come from off the pace to win.
Go Uncle Bob, Race 4
FD Odds: 4/1
Race 4 is the start of the Pick 5, and 10 runners go 7 furlongs on the turf in an Allowance race. We turn to family friend Go Uncle Bob (4/1) to cash in. He’s finished first or second in four of five starts, including a pace-pressing win last out in February with an 86 speed figure.
Animal Kingston (5/2) will get play as the favorite and top pick at numberFire. He making his 2020 debut but has just 2 wins in 15 starts and no speed figure above 82 last year.
Stay Awesome (7/2) is a better choice, working well for his 2020 debut, and longshot Science to Win (12/1) also makes his 2020 debut for a trainer who ran him 13 times the second half of last year with just one win.
Maxximum Energy and Draftable, Race 7
FD Odds: 2/1 and 10/1
A small Claiming route race at 1 mile, and favorite Maxximum Energy (2/1) won off a three-month layoff June 1 in a sprint. His trainer Ben Delong has a strong 23% win rate this year. He must like his energy and form to run Maxximum Energy back in two weeks.
numberFire agrees with Maxxiumum Energy on top, but longshot Draftable (10/1) comes out of that same June 1 race pressing the pace before finishing fifth. He deserves inclusion at this price.
Valley of Gems (7/2) was better two summers ago but has not won since in nine starts. He's dropped to his lowest level off a layoff since January.