Oaklawn Picks: Rebel S. and the LP4 ticket on February 26
Oaklawn Park Picks - Saturday, February 26, 2022
-
Race 1: 8-4-3-5
-
Race 2: 4-1-5-9
-
Race 3: 1-7-5-3
-
Race 4: 10-4-5-1
-
Race 5: 3-4-1-2
-
Race 6: 11-3-1-7
-
Race 7: 4-6-1-7
-
Race 8: 7-2-4-6
-
Race 9: 2-5-3-7
-
Race 10: 13(AE)-6-10-11
-
Race 11: 8-9-5-2
-
Race 12: 3-10-7-12
-
**Most Likely Winner: Chasing Time #8 (Race 11)**
-
**Best Value: Santos Dumont #2 (Race 9)**
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas is like a college town ... a college town of horse racing to be precise ... The southern hamlet is hosting an extended festival with some superb racing. Betting options are the best in the country! We are facing another 2 days of wonderful racing from the celebrated home of Arkansas Thoroughbred culture!
Featured today are races that have Kentucky Derby and Oaks implications! The Honeybee and the Rebel Stakes are conduits to Churchill Downs in early May ... enjoy this 12-race card today that is loaded with value.
Let us be your guide ... at Horseracing.net/us we have you covered, including all of the action! It is a good time for some of the best that North American racing has to offer. Stay tuned!
If you're looking for picks elsewhere around the country this Saturday be sure to check out our free Horse Racing Picks via the gold button below. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter ... Horseracing_USA !!!
LATE PICK 4…
LEG 1: (Race 9: Dirt, 1 Mile, ALLW100kn1x, 4+)
There are several days where Oaklawn Park even exceeds its own expectations … which is outstanding when it comes to handicapping. This Rebel Day brings together a superb Late Pick 4, and we are going to go after it. Kicking this sequence off is one of those Pat Pope Specials … an ALLW100k. When it comes to a top selection, I am pretty keen on backing Chris Hartman’s Santos Dumont #2. Steve Asmussen trained this gelding by Street Sense last year, and back then he ran against some tough company. A year later, we find some ticks to the positive … he gets the barn switch (an outfit that is super-hot @FG), has been working well (19 Feb. 1:00, 1/53), Francisco Arrieta takes the mount, and he will be a big price on Saturday. Just in case the inside draw is not to his liking, I also want to include both Robertino Diodoro entries … Palace Coup #3 and Myopic #5. Both of these are logical, and I am especially keen on the latter. The horse that beat this one at this same level, already came back and won nicely. Geovanni Franco gets the call, and he is going to be aboard a really solid runner. Diodoro is not living up to his potential right now, so expect that to change soon! Let’s include these 3, and move right along!
Selections: 2/3/5 (3-Deep)
LEG 2: (Race 10: Dirt, 6F, MSW84k, 3)
When it comes to a horizontal sequence, whether it is a P3, P4, or P5, then having a strong opinion becomes the essential component for success. It helps you save money in the end, and can allow you to go deeper elsewhere on the card. In this spot, we are facing a tough test because anyone … I mean anyone … can win. With so many 1st time starters that draw-in, keep in mind that only 5 of these 13 (includes the AE) runners have ever seen competition. That is quite a proposition … We have already seen some newbies come to Oaklawn and break their maiden right off the bat. If I had to pick a winner, (and I do), then either of Brad Cox’s entries would make the top of my list. Lundberg #6 is a likely winner because not only is this well-bred son of Uncle Mo from Repole Stables, but he gets Ricardo Santana in the irons. Cox is particularly sharp in spots like these, so trusting him makes sense. I also like the AE, Slim Man #13, that comes from his keep. This son of Kantharos has a pair of OP 2nds to his name, and looks to invade here … Trading Florent Geroux (who is in Saudi Arabia) for John Velazquez is not too bad a trade … don’t you think? This is one of those moments where we must go deeper, and the way I am going to play this race is to go all in. What would be superb? We get a massive long shot that really gives us some wind in the sails, right before the Rebel Stakes …
Selections: 1-13, includes AE (All)
LEG 3: (Race 11: Dirt, 1 1/16th, Rebel S. (G2), $1 million, 3)
It’s time for the Rebel … I am not exactly sure what the weather is going to do on Saturday, but even though rain is in the forecast, we are not going to let that dampen our spirits … nor the betting. This is always one contest that brings out the very best, in the best. When it comes to a top selection, I am particularly keen on one of the Steve Asmussen trainees (he has 3). Chasing Time #8 is a colt with some solid experience, that is slowly moving into tougher company. Even though this will be his 1st career “graded” race, his work at both Churchill and Oaklawn tell a tale of potential. Owned by the good folks at MyRacehorse (the micro-share co.), he was sharp in an OC80k going a mile @OP. Even though Joel Rosario is not aboard this time (he is over in Saudi Arabia), the able-bodied Tyler Gaffalione assumes the riding duties. His aggressive style is welcome, and I think this runner will be more than a square price. I also like the look of John Ortiz’s Barber Road #9, a horse that I was on even before he ran in the Southwest S. (G3). There was no way he was going to catch Bob Baffert’s Newgrange #2 (I am spurning this runner btw …) that afternoon, but the late speed he harnessed was reason enough to take notice. I find the jockey move by Ortiz and WSS Racing to make the switch from Ricardo Santana to Reylu Gutierrez to be a bit of a head scratcher. Santana rode this one ably, but maybe the connections are wanting to make a change, since Gutierrez is available. Speaking of Santana, I want to include his mount, Texas Red Hot #5, a colt by Texas Red that could be the upset of the day. Randy Morse is a trainer who does not always step into the limelight, but he has a runner here coming off-the-bench with authority. If he is a power runner, like I think he is, this one could be live. Talk about a price … 12/1, or probably higher. Yes, I am turning my back on Baffert and his entry … Onward and upward …
Selections: 5/8/9 (3-Deep)
LEG 4: (Race 12: Dirt, 6F, AOC20kn1x, 3+ AR Breds)
We are going to end this sequence with a state bred contest for Arkansas 3-yr-olds and up. Choosing a younger runner in a spot like this one is a challenge because they will be facing much more experienced horses. In a spot like this one … OC20k … I want an entry from a hungry barn that is on the verge of their 1st OP win of the Meet. Goodnight Archie #3 appears extremely fit for trainer Tammy Hornsby, and already has a pair of races under his saddle that should help in a spot like this one. The best news is that Ricardo Santana will be aboard, and he knows his business. I tend to think that in the final race of the day, you want to turn to a jockey like him, that can deliver the goods. The class level seems right to me, and this gelding by Archarcharch is likely to be just off the frontend. That is a perfect spot to be. I am confident that this is our “Single” on the card. Let’s go get this ticket cashed … tally-ho!
Selections: 3 (Single)
-------------------------------------------------------
LP4 Ticket: 2-3-5 / 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-(AE13) / 5-8-9 / 3
.50 P4 TICKET COST: $58.50
It's Rebel Day ... so, enjoy some wonderful betting opportunities! Best of luck on another run at historic Oaklawn Park! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter … Horseracing_USA !!!