Turfway Park Picks: English Tide a live outsider in Race 7

Turfway Park begins a new week on Wednesday with another eight-race card beginning at approximately 6:15 p.m. ET. As has been the case for much of the meet, our in-house handicapper has made picks for the entire card, with select analysis of some races sprinkled in.

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:  Nineeleventurbo (Race 6) - I’ve already chased this horse twice at the meet as the favorite and come up empty, so what can I say, I guess I’m a sucker. It’s not that Nineeleventurbo ran poorly on either occasion, but he’s had a habit of just finding someone better than him; I think that stops in this spot. The competition is virtually nonexistent here, so it very much feels like it’s now or never for him. I’ll give him one final try, otherwise I’m afraid he’s doomed to be a career maiden.

Best Value:  English Tide (Race 7) - There’s absolutely no one in this race that scares me, so I’m more than happy to give English Tide a try from the small barn of Haley Hester. English Tide was actually a perfect 2-for-2 at the meet until his last race, which I think you can safely draw a line through as it came around two turns and his early speed was taken away from him. This race does mark a step up in class from his prior sprint wins at the meet, but those efforts stack up well against this group, and because of his low-percentage trainer and rider he should be a very appetizing price.

Other Races of Interest:  Race 3 - I can’t possibly take Lilibet (#1) as the favorite in this race. She’s clearly fast enough to win, however she has eight second-place finishes in her career and has demonstrated an unwillingness to win. That can be said for many of the runners in this field, but I happen to think Lil Hitchhiker (#7) is an honest mare that should be able to capitalize in a race completely bereft of quality. This mare is drawn well and took a step forward in her last start; if she improves again in her third start off the layoff she should win.

Race 5 - Searing Chase (#1) is going to be tough to deal with if he takes to the synthetic surface at Turfway, but he’s been off for a long time and as part of a coupled entry with Pellar Tate (#1a) may take more than his fair share of money. That should open the door for the Wesley Ward-trained King of Value (#5) to offer some value. This horse ran pretty well as a 2-year-old in a pair of starts at Saratoga, and I expect him to take a big step forward as he returns a new gelding with Lasix and blinkers added.

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