McLean’s Selections for Turfway Park on Wednesday, Jan. 1

We limped home to end 2019 with a disappointing one, meager, single victory out of the 8 races carded at Turfway Park.

That’s sad. Truly.

But we got a bit happy with the exotics. We hit 4 exactas on the day and they returned the likes of $16.30, $35.30, $30.20 and $37.70 for each $1 played.

Not bad. Truly.

Now, we begin the Year 2020, and we hope that our prognostications and predictions have a little more luck. We may not have perfect vision. But we are looking to be better than normal.

Here’s what we have for Day 1:

1st: 2-(13)-4/12-1-11/9-5-10-3…Looktheotherway (2) is a 6YO Arizona-bred. Yep. Arizona-bred. May be the only time I have touted an Arizona-bred to win a race. Can’t remember ever doing that before. But this daughter of the standout sire Fappie’s Notebook (LOL) does have a nice 8-3-3 record in 20 races over the AW, and has a win and a second in 3 starts here. Drops in class for this one today, and the works of late have been handy. Won two races back at Hawthorne, and won 3 in a row at Arlington Park back in the summer. Looks best here. Blushing Bella (13) will need a scratch or two to draw into the main body of this race. Won for the tag of $12,500 last time out. That gave this one 5 wins in the last 6 races. In the only race over this surface, she had a win, too. Barn hits with .25% of those that won the last race and at .23% over the AW track. If she gets in? She is the top pick. I bet the 2-13 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in one exacta. I will key the 2-13 over/under the 4-12-1-11-9-5 in two smaller versions.

2nd: 12-(14)-1/9-2-3/4-11-8-10…Winyah Bay (12) rana good one last time when the connections dropped from a MSW level to the MCL level of $15,000. Wheels right back at the same price tag today. Barn is having a solid TP meeting. Has a 6-3-3 record in 21 starts here since the Holiday Meet started in early December. Should be a tough out if she runs the same kind of race again. Boomtown (14) will drop into the MCL ranks for the first time today. Barn hits with .20% of those. Trainer also hits with .19% of those racing for the 2nd time after a layoff. Ran 4th last time out here on Dec. 13. But was 20-to-1 in that one. Chance if he draws in. I bet the 12-14 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exacta. I will key the 12-14 over/under the 1-9-2-3-4-11 in two smaller versions.

3rd: 7-9/3-12/(14)-5-10-4/(13)-11…Valid Storm (7) drops in class for this one today and will get a new rider after shipping to town from Chicago. The last three have been poor, but this one drops to the bargain bin here and the barn can get them ready off the bench. Wins with .20% when away from the races this long. Really nice work on Dec. 24 at Hawthorne. Looks like this one could be a nice surprise here. Band of Thieves (9) nearly won last time out here on Dec. 5. Lost by a skinny nose. Now, drops another rung down the ladder to the bargain bin. Went off at odds of nearly 50-to-1 in the last outing, though. Will be interesting to see if that performance was a real example of this one’s new-found talent, or just a fluke. Could be either one. I bet the 7 to win/place/show and then box the 7-9 in one exacta. I bet the 7-9 over/under the 3-12-14-5-10-4 in two smaller versions.

4th: 10-4-5/9-3/8…Calm Pacific (10) will drop from $10,000 level to the $5,000 tag today for this one. Barn is 0-for-8 when dropping this much in one swoop. But does have 2 wins and a second in 7 starts over the AW track at Turfway. Lizzy’s Lure (4) has a 2-5-1 mark in 15 starts here. Has 2 straight 2nd here in December. Has enough speed to stalk the pace. Will be interesting to see if he can close and not hang in the late going. Jocker Justice (5) ran 3rd against much tougher three races ago, and another 3rd against tougher two races back. Didn’t do much when moving to the AW for the first time last outing, but has that experience now. Look for more out of this one today. I bet the 10-5 across the board and then box the top 3 in the exacta. I will key the 10-5 over/under the 4-9-3-8 in two smaller versions.

5th: 1-6/2-7-9/4-3…Loving Moment (1) has 4 seconds and a third in the first 9 starts, and I can toss the last one at KEE, when running over the grass against monster types. Steadied into the first turnoff that one and never got untracked after that for a mare that normally likes to be a tad closer to the pace presence. This one is now a 5YO maiden, though, and sold this past November for $50,000. That’s not as much as you may hope for a daughter of Uncle Mo. Looks the best in this group, to me, but concerns. Frills (6) ran well here on Dec. 11. Faltered late in that one after setting the early pace. Gets a new rider for this one and the 4YO daughter of Candy Ride looks like she is well-spored for a trainer that hits with .16% of previous runners over the AW surface. I bet the 1-6 across the board and then box the 1-6 in the exacta. I will key the 1-6 over/under the 2-7-9-4-3 in two smaller versions. 

6th: 6-3/8-1/2-4-5…Going to Temple (6) won last time out for Brian Lynch. Moves to the barn of Emma Lyster, while the boss serves out his suspension for a bad test. The blinkers seemed to have help this 4YO daughter of Temple City and the AW may have assisted in the improvement, too. Apprentice gets the reins again and this one should fit with these, despite moving up to face winners for the first time. Mornings (3) drops to half the price tag that she raced for last time out. Barn hits with .20% of those that move down the ladder this much in one move. In 10 career starts, she has the one win. But she has 3 seconds to add to the resume. Gets the track’s top rider up. The one to beat — for sure. I bet the 3 — take note — to win/place/show and then box the 6-3 in one exacta. I will key the 6-3 over/under the 8-1-2-4-5 in two smaller versions.

7th: 10-1-6/5-7-8-11/(14)-2-(13)-4…Purely Boy (10) will have to break from the outside, but the 11YO gelded son of Purim does have a 6-2-1 mark in 12 previous runs over this surface. Won here on Dec. 14 in style — charging late. No reason that he can’t duplicate that effort again today — despite the slight move up in class order. Rider had a solid December here and was up on this one for the last win Gets the 5-pound apprentice allowance again. My pick. Takin the Sloroad (1) gets a drop back in class to a level where he won two races ago. Barn hit with .18% of the 55 runners last year. Has a 7-2-6 mark in 21 previous runs here. I bet the 10-1 across the board and then box the top 3 in the exacta. I will key the 10-1 over/under the 6-5-7-8-11 in two smaller versions.

8th: 2-7-1/11/3-12-8…Eli’s Coming (2) goes for a barn that won with .22% of the 23 runners in the Holiday Meet here. Had a 5-4-3 record in the 23 mounts. Claimed this one two starts ago. Has not run a lick since the debut run on Sept. 9 at Belterra. But the works here have been better than the race record. This son of Twirling Candy is my Upset Special of the Day. Link to Destiny (7) goes for the barn of trainer Wesley Ward, who won with .29% of his 21 runners in the Holiday Meet. This one has not run since February of 2019.  Been training very well here for the comeback effort, though. And, the barn hits with .21% of those coming off this kind of a layup. The horse to beat. Kickapoo (1) has hit the board at this level in the last two tries. Figures to come running late, again. In one previous run here, has a 3rd. I bet the 2-7 across the board and then box the top 3 in the exacta. I will key the 2-7 over/under the 1-11-3-12-8 in two smaller versions.

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene