One On The House

by Ed Meyer

posted on November 6, 2008 in Free Picks and Tips, Handicapping | No Comments >>

The weekend is drawing near, and I know you want to get your bankroll ready.  I happen to have found a little nugget from WinningPonies.com that will kick start your day.

In Race #2 at Churchill Downs, which is slated to go to post at 1:08 pm Eastern, I like a runner in this field that has more than caught my eye.

Take a hard look at #1 Western Sweep. This gal is 2-1 and is the standalone top tier selection.  Shows the “Has Improved” banner, and this is always a good sign at this level.  E.T Baird from Chicago has the mount, and he is winning at 30% over the Churchill surface.

This 4-year-old gal is trained by Wayne Catalano. To the rest of the world, we call him the “Cat Man.” He has been KING of Chicago for years, and knows how to bring a runner ready. She has been in TOUGH New York bred competition against NY-bred allowance fillies, before being claimed by Catalano two starts back. She rolled in these same conditions at Hawthorne, and the race was better than it appeared.

She is a late runner, and had to close into pedestrian fractions last out. At the top of the lane she was stopped cold, and re-rallied for the win. Catalano is smoking at 38% in 2008, and is the cats meow with runners who were last-out winners at the same level. Baird is his go-to-guy in Chicago, and Kentucky should feel like home to these guys again.

The race offers: Exacta, Trifecta and Superfecta wagering, as well as the Pick-3 in races 2-3-4.  So buckle down, and take a look at WP’s selections for the rest of the multi-race exotics.   Look for the Cat Man to scratch his way to the winner’s circle.