Loading ...Aug 28 2020
Charles Town Oaks, Classic, 7 Stakes Races Precap, Tonight!
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Friday, August 27, 2020. Charles Town has a big race day starting at 5PM ET, a 12 race card featuring the G3 Oaks and G2 Classic, along with 5 other exciting stakes races for various categories. Racing should continue thru 11PM unless severe weather gets in the way.
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The bad news is that a tropical storm is headed over from Nashville, and thunderstorms are expected in the area tonight. The good news is that the big storm itself will be arriving overnight and most of the damage will be done tomorrow, after all the stakes racing is over.
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In case you’re wondering what to do on a beautiful Friday afternoon, and your favorite hangout is closed, or it’s too dangerous to go out at night, and pro sports crybabies aren’t playing anymore, then tune in to some great racing, pour yourself a beverage, make some nachos, and enjoy the sport of kings.
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A nice race card at sunny Saratoga is going on this afternoon, featuring the G3 Lake George stakes at 5:45ET. Gulfstream and Woodbine have their usual racing, then Del Mar begins their afternoon card also at 5ET featuring a 5 filly and mare stakes race. There’s plenty of racing to keep you busy.
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Let’s break down the races at Charles Town beforehand so you can have a clue what’s going on before post time. It’s impossible to know exactly what the weather will do or how the track will play at this point, so that is something to watch as the card unfolds. First get the Friday Free Grid here to follow along.
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The Charles Town Classic G2 at 10:18PM features 10 horses 3 and up going 9f. The first thing you should do in any race is identify the speed. There’s not much in this one, just the two E8’s Sleepy Eyes Todd and Runnin’toluvya, who is actually the defending champion. However, last April he was on a 3 stakes race win streak and was able to sit on a moderate pace to pull off that upset.
That won’t happen with Sleepy Eyes Todd also on the pace, and he is the more likely long shot special to win this one, but not if they get into a heated pace dispute. If they take their time up front, Mr. Money will be right up there with them. However, he’s not in the dominant form he was last year while winning 4 straight graded stakes.
Edging them all out for the top EP rating in the Grid, meaning on average he runs with the fastest early speed, is Mo Don’t Know. In his 10f stakes races, he finished 2nd and won last out, so 9f is not a problem for this gelding. With the great running style of P5 and not too much speed up front, this is your official top long shot special for the Classic at 15-1.
The ML favorite is Math Wizard, coming off a strong 2nd in the Monmouth Cup, but his best finish in 3 races before that and after his last win, was 5th. So statistics say he’ll probably bounce again.
War Story could end up being the favorite and rightfully so, with top LP and Power, but he hasn’t raced since his 3rd place in the Pegasus World Cup in January, so that’s another vulnerable favorite.
3rd ML choice Multiplier is only off a two month layoff could be primed for big run here. Late runners Forewarned and Tenfold are solid at this distance but would like more speed up front.
Here’s the initial prediction with ML odds:
3- Mo Don’t Know 15-1
7- Sleepy Eyes Todd 10-1
10- Multiplier 9-2
9- War Story 4-1
2- Tenfold 5-1
6- Mr. Money 6-1
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Other first glance long shot specials.
Fly on Angel in the Oaks.
Arthur’s Hope and Winds of change in the Russell Rd.
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For the rest of the races, use the Grid now that I’ve shown you how, and pay attention to how the track plays and any bias that develops throughout the evening, and watch out for T-storms that can affect how the track runs. Good luck!
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