Oaklawn Park Pick 5 Picks: March 27, 2020

Unfortunately we couldn’t take down Thursday’s Pick 5 as we were just one leg away from cashing. I am back at it with today’s nine race card. The Pick 5 is very straight forward and another great opportunity to make money as we look to end the work week right! I’ve previewed every race in the sequence and provided the ticket I will play as well.

Best of luck!

Race 5: Waiver Claiming $6,250 for 4-years-old and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $17,000

Robertino Diodoro brings #8 Doc Curlin from lower competition at Turf Paradise to Oaklawn Park for the first time in his career. Doc Curlin is the definition of consistent, finishing in the money 11 straight times. He is a major player in this group as he looks to make his Oaklawn Park debut a winning one. My top choice in this group is #7 Pocket Personality as he drops into a much lower level claiming event. He’s faced much tougher in the past, and has had success in doing so. This will be his first race in the calendar year, but his best effort will be more than good enough here.

Race 6: Waiver Claiming $30,000 for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt which have never won two races. Purse $24,000

#2 Cherished just missed out on an impressive win at Sam Houston just two weeks ago. Steve Asmussen has found something with this filly since he’s been in charge. Her second-place effort two starts back at Oaklawn was an impressive one and is primed for a similar effort today. My top choice is the Tom Amoss entry #8 Between the Hedges. This filly by Union Rags has shown supreme speed under Amoss and this 6-furlong sprint sets up nicely for her. While I don’t know if this filly can go gate-to-wire, #1 Elite Song must be taken seriously. She comes into this race on a major class drop and her front-end speed could be enough if she gets away.

Race 7: Maiden Claiming $40,000 for 3-year-old fillies going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. Purse $26,000

#9 Hashtag Winner hasn’t produced outstanding results under Brian Williamson but has shown some promise. Her best effort was at Churchill Downs last year at the $50,000 maiden claiming level. A repeat of that performance will be very tough to top. The most talented horse and my top choice is #10 Hungry N Scrappy. She closed into a very slow pace on a muddy racetrack here at Oaklawn on February 20. The eventual winner of that race Auction Fever is now on a two-race win streak. Hungry N Scrappy will be the favorite and could be singled on all multi-race tickets.

Race 8: Allowance Optional Claiming $50,000 for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt which have never won $15,000 two times other than maiden, claiming or starter bred allowance races. Purse $62,000

I thought both of the Robertino Diodoro runners had a good chance in this group, but with What a Fox scratched, my top choice is the other Diodoro runner, #9 Wholehearted. She won on February 16 in the same class going away and has hit her best stride under Diodoro. I prefer Wholehearted over What a Fox but it’s very possible these two complete the exacta in the feature race of the day. #5 Sunny Dale made her Oaklawn Park debut for Jerry Hollendorfer two starts back. This is Hollendorfer’s third stint with Sunny Dale, who has found a home here at Oaklawn Park who will look to make it three in a row. 

Race 9: Maiden Claiming $50,000 for 3-year-old maidens going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $34,000

#2 Digital Star has been very disappointing under Wayne Catalano in his four career starts. His last two efforts were on sloppy racetracks which he didn’t respond very well to. He’s not my top choice but he’s run against very tough competition at Churchill Downs in the past, and a fast racetrack might be exactly what he needs to get his first win under his belt. He must be included on all tickets. #5 Tapsolution is a 3-year-old colt by City Zip who looks to make his debut for Steve Asmussen. He has looked spectacular in the mornings and is poised to make a splash in his first career start. Tyler Baze gets the call for Asmussen, who has used the veteran jockey in the past on his talented youngsters to help break their maiden status.

THE TICKET

$1 PICK 5 – 7,8 / 1,2,8 / 9,10 / 5,9 / 2,5 – $48

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