Free Picks For Oaklawn Park - 4/23/20
Race 1 at Oaklawn Park on Thursday features Turnstone (1) as the favorite. Experienced jockey Joseph Rocco Jr. will be aboard Turnstone and starting on the rail will give the favorite an even better shot at winning. Florida Bird (4) cannot be overlooked thanks to a strong finishing kick while Get One More (2) will be in the mix late and could pull off an upset down the stretch. Turnstone (1) to win, Exacta 1-2
Race 2 features Freedom Hill (9) who is moving from Turf Paradise to Oaklawn but will nevertheless be at the front across the line. Bajan Cash (7) will finish strong but does not have the speed to catch the likes of Freedom Hill. Leo (12) has raced well of late and will have Martin Garcia on board to guide the horse through the maze of 13 horses in this race. Freedom Hill (9) to win, Exacta 9-12
Race 3 at Oaklawn Park will feature Thornish (10) who will have Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard who has done very well of late. Macho Rocco will fare better thanks to dropping a level and his late speed should help on the final stretch. Not to be overlooked is J’s Little Man (3) with a strong post position and who ran second his last time out April 5. The No. 3 has finished second and third over the last 3 starts and will certainly be in the mix late. Thornish (10) to win, Exacta 10-3
The fourth race at Oaklawn Park on Thursday will feature Moment (10) racing from the outside post but the 4-year old has been a winner and a second-place finisher the last two races at Oaklawn and has won three of the last nine starts at this distance. Ernie Banks (5) ridden by Orlando Mojica will give Moment all he can handle in the latter part of the race. Around the Dial (1) has the advantage of leaving from the rail but will fall off the pace down the backstretch. Moment (10) to win, Exacta 10-5
Race 5 at Oaklawn Park will feature Urbanite (1) leaving from the rail. Urbanite has not finished well his last two starts but one was on turf and one on a sloppy track. Urbanite will be tough to catch down the final stretch. Marquee Thunder (4) has not run for 6 months but under the tutelage of Brad Cox’s barn will finish strong after such a long layoff. Ahsad (12) has the disadvantage of starting on the outside but the three-year-old Colt drops down in class and will finish at the top. Ahsad (12) to win, Exacta 12-1
The 6th race at Oaklawn Park on Thursday will feature Botero leaving from the No. 4 post. Botero lost by a neck in his last outing March 29 and will be in the mix throughout this one. Bump Bailey (9) starts outside and needs to reach the corner at the front of the pack or will be lost down the backstretch. However, Bump Bailey has great speed and a drop in class will help. Exultation (10) could benefit from another horse challenging Bump Bailey early and outrunning both down the final stretch. Bump Bailey to win, Exacta 9-10
Race 7 of the Oaklawn Park card on Thursday will have Coal Truth (8) as one of the favorites. Coal Truth started poorly the last time out but rallied to finish fourth. Courting a Kiss (5) will leave from the middle of the pack and after making a move up in class the last time out finished strongly. When on the lead the horse is difficult to beat. Whenthedovescry (10) drops in class this race and the recent outing for the horse on a sloppy track cannot be considered here. The No. 10 has an excellent sprint on the final stretch and will finish in the money. Courting a Kiss (5) to win, Exacta 5-10
The eighth race at Oaklawn Park on Thursday will feature a competitive field but three stand out. Out of Trouble (3) ran competitively on turf for most of 2019 and the early part of 2020 but comes from a pedigree that runs well on dirt. She can't be overlooked because of her speed. Road Test (1) leaves from the rail and has won each of her last two outings but will be taking a big step up in class on Thursday. She has run well at Oaklawn and the inside post will help. Kiss More (4) broke her maiden status at Oaklawn on February 9 and finished second in her last outing. Kiss More (4) to win, Exacta 4-1
The 9th and final race of the Oaklawn Park card on Thursday will feature Auction Fever (8) who is coming off two consecutive victories. She is consistent and has run to her odds on more than one occasion winning her last two races as the favorite. Seattle Slang (2) did not break well in her first start of 2020 but was able to catch up on the backstretch and cleared the entire field down the home stretch. Lucky Betty (1) was a big winner at Oaklawn in just her third start and the eight and a half furlongs will be to her advantage. Auction Fever to win, Exacta 8-1