Ricky’s Rockets: Oaklawn Park Picks for April 5, 2020

Saturday’s Pick 5 sequence paid $22,873.20! I certainly was nowhere close as none of the post-time favorites came in. Sunday’s sequence should play out much differently as I see the races playing out more to form. I am playing my Pick 5 ticket for a $0.50 and the late Pick 4 for $2 using the same picks as well! 

Best of luck!

Race 5: Claiming $16,000 for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $18,200

#7 Sweet Carli has been on an absolute tear under Brad Cox’s supervision. In three starts under him, Sweet Carli has two victories by multiple lengths and a very competitive second after a bad break at the start. She is my top choice and will be the favorite at post-time and it will take a very good effort to beat her in this spot. #9 True Castle moves up in class after winning at the non-winners of two level. She had been running at allowance levels prior to her last start at the claiming ranks. Norman McKnight brings her back quickly after running here at Oaklawn on March 27. It will be interesting to see whether this move pays off or not, is yet to be seen. #10 Italian Justice made her first start for William Martin after getting claimed on March 5. Like Italian Justice, she comes back to the track very quickly. She has the ability to sit off the speed in this race, putting her in a position to strike in the stretch and win at the wire.

Race 6: Maiden Claiming $20,000 for 3-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. Purse $18,000

Many of these horses have not done much running in their starts but a couple of runners take a major drop in class. #2 Quana Dude was in two maiden special weight races at the Fair Grounds this year and failed to fire both times. Tom Amoss brings him to Oaklawn Park in search of his first victory. This is about the easiest group of runners he can face and will be out of options if he doesn’t win at this level. The other logical horse is the 4-year-old by Bodemeister, #4 Kasilof. He ran a decent third at the Maiden Claiming $40,000 level last time out and held his own in the stretch. Martin Garcia was aboard last time out for Joe Sharp, and should position him much closer to the pace, as this field possesses very little early speed. Don’t be surprised if Kasilof has the lead or sits right off the pace out of the gate.

Race 7: Maiden Special Weight for 3-year-olds and upward going 6 furlongs on the dirt. Purse $60,000.

#1 Edgemont Road didn’t win as a 2-year-old and will make his second start in 2020. In his first start of the calendar year, he broke sharply out of the gate and posted a :22.00 first quarter leading into the top of the stretch. He looked like a completely different horse in that race compared to what he put forth last year. At 8/1 on the morning-line, he has to be included on all tickets and can make some noise on the tote-board. My top choice is #7 Major Attraction for Wayne Catalano. He had a brutal start in his debut and was four-wide the entire race. Florent Geroux did a fantastic job of keeping him engaged in the stretch finishing a game second to Picasso who had a jump on him throughout. This is only his second career start as a 4-year-old but assuming he can break well, he will pose a threat in this spot.

Race 8: Allowance Optional Claiming $100,000 for fillies and mares 4-year-olds and upward going 1 mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt. Purse $63,000

#2 Blue Moonrise dominated last time out here at Oaklawn Park on February 28. Ricardo Santana Jr. established an early lead with her and never looked back. Santana Jr. is scheduled to be on his mounts (after being quarantined) giving me confidence in Blue Moonrise as he steps up in class. He’s not a stakes type of horse but can be a productive AOC runner, and a strong performance here can echo that sentiment. It’s tough to know what kind of performance #5 Awe Emma would’ve put forth in the Azeri Stakes (G2), had she not reared at the start and losing Richard Eramia at the gate. It’s hard to imagine her beating the likes of Serengetti Empress, Street Band and Mylady Curlin but the confidence shown by Dallas Stewart has me intrigued. She does own three wins here at Oaklawn Park and has faced much better in the past.

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

#3 Ginobili is the horse to beat and may be close to even money at post-time. He has a win over Kentucky Derby hopeful, Honor A.P. and a close second to Bob Baffert’s Derby runner, Nadal in the San Vincente (G2). It’s a shame he is not Kentucky Derby nominated as he would’ve made some noise especially with the date change to September 5. Nonetheless, he will be an obvious favorite and will be singled on many tickets. If Ginobili were not to win, #9 Marvin would be the next best choice. Had he run on a fast track in his last start, he would’ve passed Big Returns in the stretch picking up his second career victory. He will need a monster performance to beat Ginobili but is very capable of doing so for McLean Robertson.

THE TICKET

$0.50 PICK 5 (Races 5-9) – 1,2,7,9 / 2,4 / 1,4,7 / 2,5 / 2,3,9 – $72

$2 Pick 4 (Races 6-9) – 2,4 / 1,4,7 / 2,5 / 2,3,9 – $72

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