Oaklawn Park Picks: Absolute Anna should appreciate added ground in Race 6
Oaklawn Park gets back on track on Thursday with an exciting nine races, though weather could be an issue as there is rain in the forecast. As has been customary throughout the meet, our in-house handicapper has made picks for the entire card and provided select analysis of some of the races.
If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country on Thursday, be sure to check out our Free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below.
Most Likely Winner: Descente (Race 2) - There’s some trepidation that Descente is making her first start in the barn of Jerry Hollendorfer after having run so well for her former trainer Peter Walder, however this mare has been a win machine on dirt and should be able to transfer her tremendous form to Oaklawn Park. Also consider what she’s facing in this race. No one else in this field has run anything close to what Descente is capable of lately, and the majority of these runners are in questionable form at the moment. If Descente brings anything close to her ‘A’ race to this spot, she should win easily.
Best Value: Absolute Anna (Race 6) - I’m not enamored with the likely favorite in this race, Sister Annie, whose last two races at Fair Grounds aren’t anything special. Sister Annie is probably going to take far too much money, which should set the stage for Absolute Anna to offer excellent value. Absolute Anna’s first local start looks ordinary on paper, and in many respects it was, however I’m expecting this filly to move way forward with the added ground she gets in this race. She also may not have cared for the wet track she got in her last race, and she should be able to work out a good trip from her wide post.
Other Races of Interest: Race 7 - I wouldn’t touch Hardly a Secret (#8) with a ten-foot pole in this race as he goes first off-the-claim for Tom Swearingen having last run for Robertino Diodoro. He can obviously win based on his last race, but he took a truly alarming drop in class last out, and this trainer change is scary, as well. I prefer the slower-looking Bobby Baby (#5), who ran quite well in his first start with Federico Villafranco. If Hardly a Secret regresses in the way I’m anticipating, Bobby Baby becomes a very likely winner.
Race 8 - This is another race in which I’m against a Brad Cox trainee who figures to attract undue wagering support. The Sound (#6) could improve with the turnback in distance, but his prior sprint form isn’t anything spectacular and he was life and death to win his last race as an odds-on favorite. I think Seven Nation Army (#3) is a far more logical option as he comes out of a strong performance in the King Cotton over this track, and if he’s not a decisive favorite he should provide adequate value.
*If you're interested in seeing payouts for these races, you can find them on our Results page linked to below*