Canterbury Park Picks & Analysis for June 9

Boasting on industry-low Pick 5 takeout of just 10%, Canterbury Park puts on another strong program on Wednesday with 11 races to choose from. Our in-house handicapper is on the scene with picks for all 11 races and additional analysis of his strongest opinions throughout the day.

If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country on Wednesday, be sure to check out our Free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below.

Most Likely Winner:  Excursion (Race 2) - Well Read has a right to improve in his second start for McLean Robertson as he stretches out in distance, but it may not matter if Excursion gets back to his two-back effort on dirt at Keeneland. Up against a strong inside bias that day, Excursion ran deceptively well to be third with a 65 Beyer Speed Figure. He was claimed out of that race by powerhouse trainer Robertino Diodoro, and although his first start with Diodoro was a dud, that race came on turf at Canterbury. He’s running back on short rest, but I expect Diodoro to get this horse back on track on his preferred surface.

Best Value:  Hurts So Good (Race 7) - I don’t know that I wholly believe in the 83 Beyer Speed Figure that Hurts So Good last ran on turf, but even so I think this horse is very dangerous as he gets back to a configuration that clearly agreed with him last year at Canterbury. There really isn’t much quality in this first-level optional claimer, so if Hurts So Good is able to approximate that number he should win, and I’m emboldened by the sneaky good form he was in over the winter at Oaklawn.

Other Races of Interest:  Race 1 - I’m not enamored with any of the short prices in the day’s first race, a cheap, conditioned claimer for Minnesota-breds, which is why I think you have to take the class-dropping Me Say So (#2) anywhere near his morning-line odds of 9-2. She may not appear faster than her main rivals in this race, however her last two races came against allowance competition and she should benefit tremendously from facing this woefully slow group. This filly showed some promise as a 2-year-old, and I think we’re going to see her realize some of that potential in this spot.

Race 8 - It’s almost unfathomable to me that Mister Not Funny (#4) would be triple the price on the morning line of your likely favorite Two the Punch (#7). Yes, Two the Punch did beat him last out, however it was plain as day that Mister Not Funny ran the better race, and it’s hard to believe upon watching that race back that he didn’t actually win. Mister Not Funny isn’t as reliable as Two the Punch, but he’s a 4-year-old that has a right to continue improving, and a repeat of his latest outing would make him a major player at very generous odds.

*If you're interested in seeing payouts for these races, you can find them and others on our Results page linked to below*