Final Version: McLean’s Selections for Turfway Park on Thursday, Dec. 22

(Stats to be updated after Turfway Park’s card on Wednesday night)

Here’s our looks for the new and improved Turfway Park on Thursday night, and, hopefully, before the arctic chill hits the Bluegrass and turns us all into the newest characters for Avatar.

1st: 7-9/2/6/4/1-8…Knelcock (7) gets the nod in the ole’ lid-lifter at the new and improved Turfway Park on this Thursday night. This 3YO filly ran huge when dropped to this level last time out and nearly won for the first time in the career. Gets a rider who has been up before. One to beat, it appears. Mambo Kitten (9) is well bred, by a top stallion and out of a Stakes-placed mare. drops to a career-low price tag here. Has hit the board in 5 of 11 starts to date, but needs to improve in the lane. I bet the 7 across the board and then box the 7-9 in the exactas. I will key the 7-9 over/under the 2-6-4 in two smaller units. 

2nd: 3-9/11/1-5-10/8/2/4…Eiswein (3) drops to the bargain bin after running against much, much tougher in the first 11 starts. Has only one third in 7 starts this year. Barn wins with a whopping .27% when away this long and the works suggest she is ready for the return. Mama Linda (9) makes another drop in the claiming ranks here and does have a win last year against tougher at Gulfstream Park. Rider is 0-for-35 here this meet. Ugh. I bet the 3 across the board and then box the 3-9 in the exactas. I will key the 3 over/under the 9-11-1-5-10-8-2 in  two smaller units. 

3rd: 5-9-7/4/2-8-12/1-6-3/10/11…Chimaev (5) goes for a barn operation that has been hot of late. Over the last 12 starts, this trainer has gone 4-1-2. Barn has won .27% of 15 starts this meet. Gets a good gate rider up here for the career debut and the barn wins with .21% in the MCL ranks. Uncle Headley (9) goes for a top barn, which has won with 2 of 6 so far this meet. This one misfired in the last start at KY Downs. Never ran a step. Now, this one is dropped all the way to the $15,000 price tag here. Gets a top rider who is making the meet debut this week. Thalberg (7) will make the career debut for a trainer who has won with 5 of 7 this meet. Wow. Wow numbers. The dam of this 2YO colt has a winner from 1 starter. I bet the 5-7 across the board and then box the top 3 in the exactas. I will key the top 3 numbers over/under the 4 in two smaller units. 

4th: 2/5-6-10/7/1-8-9//4-11…The first “Key Play of the Night” comes here with Red Mule (2). Barn is off to a really nice start this meet, and wins with .22% of the last 452 to return to the gate as a beaten favorite. In one previous start here, has a 2nd place finish. Love the rider choice here. I bet the 2 to win/place/show and then double down on the win wager. I will key the 2 over/under the 5-6-10-7-1-8-9 in the exactas. More with the 5-6-10 than the rest. 

5th: 9-10/11-3-5/1-2-8/6-12/4-7…Park Angel (9) goes for a trainer who definitely knows how to get a horse ready off the bench to win a horse race. Doesn’t have many horses or big numbers, but this guy can train. This 3YO filly ran 2nd on debut at Churchill Downs in June. Look out here at a square price. Sitting Pretty (10) goes for one of the top barn operations on the East Coast. This 4YO filly cost a hefty $285,000 as a yearling in 2019. Now, 3 years later, she had earned back just $32,000. Will make the 2nd start off a layoff and the barn wins with .18% of the last 125 to do that. I bet the 9 across the board and then box the 9-10 in the exactas. I will key the 9-10 over/under the 11-3-5-1-2-8 in two smaller units. 

6th: 7-8/3-1-5-10/6/2-11/4/9…Shady McGee (7) drops to a career-low price tag here and less than half the tag put up a couple of starts ago when he nearly won at Aqueduct. Has raced 8 times over an AW surface, to date, and has a 1-2-0 record. Ran no good last time out, but that was over the slop and against much tougher. Takafumi (8) has been over an AW surface 6 times, with a record of 2-1-1. Has a win here, too. Rider has gone 0-for-9 so far this meet, but did ride 3rd on this one last time out. Nearly won that one . Returns here with a beaten favorite. I bet the 7-8 across the board and then box these two in the exactas. I will key the 7-8 over/under the 3-1-5-10-6 in two smaller units. 

7th: 2-4-7/11-6-10/5/9-12-(13)/8//3…Barista (2) has run two really good ones in a row and has been facing Stakes company for much of the last two years. Has run up against some good ones in those races, too. Gets a new rider who is off to a sluggish start, but very capable of delivering. Caldee (4) goes for the barn of Brad Cox, who is off to a shockingly-tough start to this meet. Has only 1 win in 13 starts, so far. But don’t worry. He and his horses will get it going. Soon. Vezpa (7) ran a big one here last time out and may improve with the 2nd try over the AW surface. Gets a top rider in these parts. Look out. I bet the 2-7 across the board and then box the top 3 numbers in the exactas. I will key the 2-7 over/under the 4-11-6-10-5 in two smaller units. 

8th: 4/3-12-(13)/10/5/11/6-8…The last “Key Play of the Night” comes in the night’s finale. This 3YO gelded son of Tapiture has a ton of speed and should be loose and fancy free on the front end here. Gets a top rider for this journey. Last two were against tougher and the drop to the “bargain bin” should help immensely. I bet the 4 across the board and then double down on the win wager. I will key the 4 over/under the 3-12-13-10-5-11 in the exactas. More with the 3-12-13 than the rest. 

Good Luck & All the Best / Gene