Horses to Watch #2 (Jan 4- Jan 6)

‘Horses to Watch’ highlights horses that should be followed for potential wagering options in the future. Virtual stables or stable mail are good tools to help you follow along.

There are only 3 horses on this week’s ‘Horses to Watch’. Last week only had 3 race days and there was a lot of rain throughout the weekend. One thing to take note of is that it looked like the inside played strongly on Sunday’s card.

Park Hill Diamond (Jan 4th: Race 7)- Closed into a loose leader from well back in a 5f turf sprint. Speed was also very strong on the turf as the rails were out 20 feet. We probably won’t be able to see him in a turf sprint anytime soon, but he is definitely one to pay attention to at this level next time. Can route, but best ability seems to be sprinting.

Babe Didrikson (Jan 5th: Race 9)- Broke slow from the gate and fell very far back. It is very tough to overcome a slow break from the inside at Golden Gate Fields sprinting, especially with a large field– they come in quickly from the outside. She was towards the rear of the field and didn’t have a ton of room till late on the turn. The pace was slow up front and it was going to be difficult to make up ground. She made a nice sustained run in the stretch and had a huge gallop out. She has broken slow in both starts, but has some talent. Her runs in the stretch and her pedigree suggest she will appreciate added ground. Has some ability, just needs to get away from the gate cleanly. Won’t be a maiden for much longer at this level.

Double Tiger (Jan 6th: Race 7)- Sat a good 5 lengths off the lead, and was about 4-5 wide on the backstretch and turn. In the stretch, he was beginning to run on pretty well in the 6 path, until the horses on his inside came out on him, forcing him to check hard. It was a rough trip running into a strong headwind in the driving rain. The inside also seemed to be playing very strong on Sunday. He was up against it considering the trip and an apparent inside bias. He has shown some ability in prior runs. Should have a good shot to win next time.