There were some really exciting races last week, but unfortunately I do not have enough time to recap them. Thought this would be a good time to bring back the ‘Horses to Watch’ list, as I had gotten some good feedback on them earlier in the year.
‘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 3 horses featured on this week’s list.
Silver Moment (Nov 2: Race 3) You are probably wondering why a horse that ran 5th beaten 11 1/4 lengths made this list… Silver Moment was making his career debut on Saturday and showed some ability. If he stays around this 2yo 12.5k MCL level next time out he should be in with a good shot. His trainer Ed Moger is not the greatest with 1st time starters as he is just 4% with his last 67 FTS– his runners seem to do better with racing under their belts. This $7300 NCAUG purchase by Marino Marini took some money at the windows and was sent off at 9/2. He broke sharp and found himself dueling on a super quick pace for the level (21.33 for 1/4 and 44.94 for the 1/2). Ran into a buzzsaw that day and faded as expected on the turn to finish 5th. Old School Charmer was the one he dueled with and ended up winning by 5 lengths– it seemed like he could have very well won at the 25k level with that performance. Silver Moment has a very precocious pedigree too, so look for this 2yo to make some noise next time out.
Mr. Fireball (Nov 2: Race 7) While Mr. Fireball was a perfect 2 for 2 coming into this, he had not shown he could run at this ALW level– he was sent off at odds of 15-1. This son of Peppered Cat proved me wrong by finishing 3rd. The pace in here was quick (21.85 for the 1/4 and 44.51 for the 1/2) but the race flow seemed to favor those near the lead. The top 2 finishers were 1-2 all the way around, and the 4th place finisher was sitting in 3rd early on. After sitting in 6th, Mr. Fireball made a strong run and showed a lot of energy in the lane. He proved he could hang at this level and earned a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 78 in doing so. Lookout for this improving 3yo next time.
Ajourneytofreedom (Nov 3: Race 8) While he is going to be a short-price next time out, he could be a single in your multi-race bets. In his debut in September he was outpaced early and ran on evenly. His trainer Blaine Wright added blinkers and his works ever since have been sharp. On Sunday he broke alertly but after a few strides out of the gate he veered in very sharply– maybe it had to do with the gap from the temporary rail to the main track? He regrouped and made a move up the rail. Unfortunately he got boxed in behind a wall of horses. Later on the turn he had finally found an opening, but he still had 5 horses to beat. Not to mention, the pace was very slow up front (1/4 in 22.62 and 1/2 in 45.65). He accelerated with a strong turn of foot in the stretch, but just ran out of real estate. Would love to see him go 2-turns next race as he has the pedigree for it (1/2 brother to Anothertwistafate by Hard Spun).
NorCal Horse Racing News 