Ricky’s Rockets ?: Oaklawn Park Picks for April 26, 2020

Oaklawn Park took no prisoners Saturday as favorites Eight Rings and Bellafina struggled mightily. Their poor performances opened the door for Long Weekend and Mia Mischief to run winning races. It was a great day overall with a ton of excitement! Sunday’s Pick 5 sequence is loaded with dirt sprints for fillies and mares. It’s a fantastic sequence that I’m extremely excited for!

Best of luck!

Race 6: Claiming $16,000 for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse 18,200

#5 Leading Indicator looks to make her Oaklawn Park debut a winning one for Peter Eurton. She has the perfect running style for this type of race as Tyler Baze can sit just off the lead. He’s very consistent finishing in the money 7/9 times in her career. #6 Sassy Seta is my top choice in this field of 12. She ran at the Starter Allowance $50,000 level against Jewel Thief who is a good Oaklawn runner. Those runners were much quicker than her and forced Martin Garcia to use her early. She should be quick enough out of the gate to set moderate fractions early on. #9 Italian Justice ran against Sassy Seta in her last start, finishing third by a couple of lengths. She was forced wide the entire race, making it difficult to pass horses. She is a logical choice in this spot but most likely will not be the favorite as she was last time out. #11 Sweet Carli is another filly who’s extremely quick out of the gate. My big concern with her is her outside post position. Martin Garcia will need to use her quite a bit to angle her toward the rail. She might be quick enough to make the lead from the outside, but the post position is only thing keeping me from making her my top choice.

Race 7: Waiver Claiming $20,000-$16,000 for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $25,000

#4 True Castle has really enjoyed running in these claiming ranks here at Oaklawn Park. When she first made the move from Woodbine, she was in Allowance races. She fits much better in the claiming ranks and Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard should be a positive bump in confidence for bettors. #5 Final Form is my top choice in this spot. She won at the Claiming $25,000 level in her 2020 debut. She’s won 4/5 of her career races on the dirt and is 1/1 here at Oaklawn Park. She will be very tough to beat in this spot running for the Jeremiah Englehart barn. #6 Madison Way has also enjoyed running at Oaklawn Park. She’s 2/3 here at Oaklawn and will get Orlando Mojica for the fourth straight race. She should get a great trip sitting just off True Castle and Final Form.

Race 8: Maiden Special Weight for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $60,000

All of these runners have prior experience on the track but two of them stick out that are far better than the rest. #3 Lil Miss Moppet drastically improved from her debut to her most recent start. She ran on the dirt for the first time, showed early speed, but couldn’t hold off Inshannity in the stretch. A second start on the dirt for the 4-year-old by Uncle Mo should make her very dangerous. The filly that was very intriguing is #11 Tipsy Gal for Dallas Stewart. She was a favorite in both of her starts, finishing third twice by a length. Those fields were much better than this group, and she should fare much better in this spot. This could be a match race that is decided at the wire between these two fillies.

Race 9: Allowance Optional Claiming $80,000 for 3-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $61,000

I didn’t have a real strong opinion in this race as I went five-deep in a race that Curtis Kalleward previewed in full. This incredibly quick group of runners is led by #11 Edgeway, who ran third in the Purple Martin Stakes. With that being said, my top choice is #3 Misty Blue for Mike Maker. She can sit off the lead and pass horses in the stretch. It’s hard to imagine Edgeway not being on the front end, but she won’t be alone. #12 Sassy Seneca and #6 Charming Lady should be clipping at her heels most of the way, but Martin Garcia has a great feel for this filly who’s excelled here as of late. She is a major player in this race. Other runners I’m using: #2 Sekani, Charming Lady, Edgeway, and Sassy Seneca.

Race 10: Allowance for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $61,000

For a 6-furlong sprint, this race doesn’t have much early speed. #5 Inthemidstofbiz is one of the few who has shown speed out of the gate. She should sit right off of Shilah Bay’s into the far turn. Shilah Bay has a tendency to get leg-weary late in the stretch, allowing runners to pass her. Inthemidstofbiz has faced better than what she will see in this field. Another runner who makes sense in this spot is #12 Gold Credit for Phil D’Amato. Her best hope would be Shilah Bay setting a :21.2 first 1/4-mile time on the front end. The quicker the first 1/4-mile, the better her chances to capture her second career victory.

THE TICKET

$.50 PICK 5 (Races 6-10) – 5,6,9,11 / 4,5,6 / 3,11 / 2,3,6,11,12 / 5,12 – $120

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