Mountaineer Park Horse Racing Picks for Tuesday 6/23/20
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 7:00 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, check the program and racing information for scratches and changes
(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).
No Way Never, Race 2
FD Odds: 8/1
A 7-furlong Allowance Option Claiming race drew 10 runners on the turf, and the favorite Judah (2/1) will take action for trainer Jay Bernardini having finished second June 7 in his 2020 debut. He just missed by a head against this level posting a solid 92 speed figure.
Bernardini’s other colt No Way Never (8/1) offers value making his Mountaineer debut having won three times last year with three additional runner-up finishes. He finished fourth in his last race at the end of May and now stretches out a bit further.
Trainer Ben Delong has won 34% of his 29 starts at the meet to lead all trainers, and he’ll saddle Try Try Again (10/1) with leading jockey Odhair Mayta winning 24% of his 45 starts to lead all riders. The 3-year-old by Palace Malice has not shown the speed ratings of others in this race, but he won his last race June 2 with an off-the-pace strong closing finish.
Nellysford, Race 3
FD Odds: 4/1
Race 3 is a similar Allowance Optional Claiming race on turf for statebred fillies and mares. Nellysford (4/1) runs in here for a $15k tag, and jockey Luis Colon has also won 24% of his races at the meet in just 21 starts. Nellysford was so solid the second half of last year finishing second eight times along with a win. That included an 87 speed figure when just missing on the turf at this distance as the favorite. She won a short sprint in March from off the pace on dirt and now returns to the grass with numberFire picking him to finish second, offering some value.
The favorite is Walkin Princess (3/1) with 12 wins in 19 starts but finished third in her 2020 debut June 8 in a short 4 ½ furlong sprint. A quick turnaround with jockey Adrian Flores looking to improve on his 8% win rate.
Dirt Road Princess (9/2) has been off since January and lacks speed, while Sherwood Lady (7/2) breaks from the rail and has a better chance having won wire-to-wire in January on the dirt with a 93 speed figure but tossed in a clunker last month. Switches over to grass.
Chairman Garey, Race 8
FD Odds: 7/2
The nightcap is a very small $4k Claiming race with 10 runners racing 6 furlongs. The favorite Bobby V (9/5) breaks from the outside post. Here’s a colt with 96 career races running as the trainer demands. Bobby V has not won a race in his last 10 starts, so we’ll look towards others.
Forest Blue (4/1) has a trainer/jockey combination with neither winning more than 8% of their races at the meet. The 8-year-old gelding is looking for his first win in 16 months and must improve greatly from his 49 speed figure just two weeks ago. Quick turnaround is telling.
Discreetly Placed (10/1) is another loser trying for a win for the first time in over a year covering 10 starts. However, numberFire sees something and has him finishing on top ahead of Chairman Garey (7/2), who raced just nine days ago finishing third. He’s won at this level here last year running on the front end and has another shot to win in a similar fashion.
