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Sun July 23rd, 2023 |
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Ron's Picks
Hawthorne Race 1
Post Time 2:30 PM CST
1-QUICK AND DIRTY has been training well but he’s making only his second start in over two years. His first start back was moved to the main track. Deserves another chance on his preferred surface. 5-SANGFROID just finished second versus similar. That was also his first route race in over a year. Could be better prepared to get the distance today. 8-HOLY STAR might be the best speed. He didn’t show a thing in his only previous turf start but he does sport a good turf pedigree.
Hawthorne Race 2
Post Time 2:57 PM CST
What do you do with 7-BE MY BESTIE? She’s been narrowly losing for $25k and now she’s dropping to $6250. Can’t believe she’ll run but if she does, they might run out of claiming slips. 2-SONG OF AMERICA is another dropper from $25k but her drop might be warranted. She ran for $15k a couple times and couldn’t graduate. Might be able to do it at this level. 5-TWICK OR TWEAT has had some competitive races. Could be the best of the rest.
Hawthorne Race 3
Post Time 3:24 PM CST
This isn’t exactly a two-horse race but it comes close. 6-MOMENT has been brilliant this year, winning five of his nine starts. He had a four-race win streak snapped in his last start but he’ll be meeting slightly easier today and with his adoration for this track and possessing the best speed, it seems likely that he’ll start another win streak today. 7=DANVILLE hasn’t been quite as sharp as Moment but he does have a two-race win streak on the line. He’s not as swift as top choice and will be doing his best running late but he’s going to need one of the other rivals in here to soften up Moment to have a realistic chance of betting that foe. It’s a toss up for third but 1-BEEALEA, with no early speed of his own, could pick up the pieces late.
Hawthorne Race 4
Post Time 3:51 PM CST
3-GO MARGIE GO could be tough at first asking. She’s only had three short drills but all were bullets and she only has to run four and a half furlongs. Races for the top barn. Seems ready. 2-SHE CAN SCAT might not be working as fast as top choice but she’s been working well and her works have been longer. If top choice does run out of gas late, this filly seems quite capable of running her down. 4-MOMS CHANNEL isn’t working as well as her stablemate top choice but this might be only a prep. She sports a fantastic turf pedigree. Would imagine her future lies on the weeds.
Hawthorne Race 5
Post Time 4:18 PM CST
3-EVEN THE WIND is a slim pick. He raced competitively in his last three turf starts but he’s adding blinkers for this one. His recent bullet drill, the fastest of 42 that day, suggests the blinkers could be the missing piece of the puzzle. 4-WOLF HUNTER looks like he could be the main threat. He finished second in his turf debut and then finished fourth in a throw-out race in his next start when taking on stakes company. He’s back in against maidens today. With a fair amount of tactical speed, he should never be far back and he could have dead aim late. 5-REGIMENTAL, despite the strong turf pedigree, showed little in his previous turf starts but this will be the easiest field he has yet to meet on the weeds. He was
beaten as the favorite, on dirt, in his local debut but think he deserves some consideration with the return to the lawn.
Hawthorne Race 6
Post Time 4:45 PM CST
8-CHISPARRAJOS finished a distant third in his career debut but he was in a couple tough runners that seem to have bright careers ahead of them. He was well clear of the rest of the field. Could have benefited greatly from that trip. Meets a field comprised of mostly first timers. Could hold a conditioning edge over them. 9-GOOD LIKE MAGIC makes his debut off seeming slow drills but he is racing for one of the top trainers in the country. If they bothered to ship him here for this race, they must think he has potential. Trainer Larry Rivelli has a pair of first timers in here. 7-GIMME THE CANDY seems to have been working the better of the two. 3-GREATNESS, the other Rivelli runner, is an Illinois Richard Ravin homebred with a pedigree that seems destined for turf.
Hawthorne Race 7
Post Time 5:12 PM CST
5-FORWARD CURVE has to be caught. He was favored the last time he raced on turf and did contend for the lead late but tired a bit. That was his first start of the year. Could be better prepared to get the distance in this spot. 1-AVIANO is far from a strong second choice but he’ll finally be back on turf for the first time since October. His recent races on the main track haven’t been great, with a couple exceptions, but his speed figures from his previous grass starts, at tracks like Saratoga and Churchill, suggest that he could be faster than these. 9-GATE CREW should be flying late. He won only one of his 17 turf starts but he also finished second eight times. Should at least get close.
Hawthorne Race 8
Post Time 5:39 PM CST
Not sure what the deal is with 1-SIMPSON BAY. He just broke his maiden in a special weight for $35k and today is running at the $6250 level. How does he lose but how do you bet him? 6-SNOWMOBILE has to be caught. The big drop puts him in the right spot. Since he won both of his races on off tracks, though he got DQ’d from one of them, a spot of rain could help greatly. 4-SWISS GUARD also drops. But his drop makes more sense. He’s had a couple races against better and didn’t do much but he figures to be far tougher in this spot.