Mountaineer Park Horse Racing Picks for Wednesday 7/1/20
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 nine 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
(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).
Merada, Race 3
FD Odds: 5/1
Race 3 is for fillies and mares going one mile on the Turf. This $15k Claiming race drew 10 runners, and the top pick at numberFire is the favorite Violet Blue (5/2), who has just 2 wins in 20 starts and makes her 2020 debut. Her last two races were graded stakes, and she posted a 105-speed figure but missed the money. She drops to her career lowest level for trainer Burton Sipp.
Trainer Jay Bernardini, who has 8 wins in a meet-leading 61 starts, returns My Little Sormy (7/2) quickly after an off-the-pace Allowance win on June 17.
Merada (5/1) is working well in her return since missing the money against better in February. She won an Allowance race last November and has been competitive at this level before at shorter prices. Best potential at price with jockey Keivan Serrano looking for his 10th win in 64 starts with a meet-high 16 runner-up finishes.
Treasured Bond, Race 7
FD Odds: 4/5
Race 7 is an allowance race for state-bred fillies and mares running 6 furlongs. The prohibitive favorite Treasured Bond (4/5) is 0-for-4 this year but just missed here on June 7, unable to hold a four-length lead in the stretch. FanDuel Racing’s implied odds suggest a 56% chance to win.
Dixie’s Dance (20/1), Mom’s Magic (12/1), and Kara Lot (6/1) also ran in that race finishing a distant fifth, sixth, and seventh behind runner-up Treasured Bond. The best chance to move up appears to be Kara Lot, who made her 2020 debut in that race but had a pair of runner-up finishes to close last year. Her best speed figure in the last year is 52, so she must improve to hit the board or pull an upset.
Brooks On Fire and Sophia Regina, Race 8
FD Odds: 5/1 and 8/1
Race 8 is another 6-furlong race for fillies and mares. Just two of the seven runners are racing without a $15k tag in this Allowance Optional Claimer. One of those is the outside horse Sophia Regina (8/1) for leading trainer Ben Delong, whose 12 wins leads the meet. Sophia Regina makes her Mountaineer debut in just her third career start with leading rider Odhair Mayta aboard.
The top pick at numberFire is Brooks On Fire (5/1), a six-year-old making her 2020 debut with a pair of bullet works over the track in recent weeks. Her 70’s speed figures suggest she’ll fit fine here despite racing for a smaller tag last year. Brooks On Fire has won nine times and finished in the money in 24-of-48 starts.
The favorite is Flat Out Smokin (5/2), who finished eighth two weeks ago at this level as a huge longshot and has not won a race in her last nine starts the past year.
Tia Flor (7/2) breaks from the rail and has not won a race since early 2017, covering 40 races. Her speed figures are best and actually hit 104 once upon a time. Trainer Kelly Fernandez just keeps running her now, as this is her third race in the last three weeks with her speed figures in the 70’s.
