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Horse Racing Best Bets, Odds – Friday’s Picks At the Gate, NYRA

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read

Horse Racing Free Picks
Aqueduct - Race 1 and 7
Thursday, March 5, 2020

For the month of March, we are down to three-day weeks at Aqueduct, running Friday through Sunday, but quality is better than quantity.
 
After a rash of short fields over the past month we have an outstanding card on Friday, with just one seven horse field and all the other races having eight or more runners.
 
It is more of the same on Saturday where we have a solid card including a field of 11 going in the $300,000 Gotham (G3), one of three Road to the Kentucky Derby points races on tap around the country.
 
The other two are the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) at Tampa Bay Downs and the $400,000 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita.
 
Each of the trio of races offers up 50-20-10-5 points toward entry into the Kentucky Derby, which is now less than two months away.
 
I’ll take a good look at the stakes action from around the U.S. tomorrow in my Best Plays Report including my analysis of the $600,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) and $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) at Santa Anita and the $250,000 Busher and the $200,000 Tom Fool Handicap (G3) from Aqueduct as well as the Derby preps.
 
To purchase my Aqueduct Report for Friday click here .
 
Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package. It gives you a month of Aqueduct Reports daily and my Best Plays Report each Saturday and Sunday which will include all of the major Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races.
 
Here is the opening race from Aqueduct to get the day off to a good start:
 
AQU Race 1 Md $25,000 (1:30 ET)
#4 Hostile Witness   9-2
#1 Timing   7-2
#3 Icy Dude   5-2
#6 Lost in Rome   4-1
 
Analysis: Hostile Witness stalked the early pace and made a mild late run while no match for the winner in a runner up finish in the mud last out. The winner Victory Boulevard came back to beat $32,000 claimers and $50,000 starter optional claimers in his next two starts. He returns a gelding here for RRod and has enough pedigree to handle the stretch back out to a mile and the prospect of catching an off track. He is the first foal to race out of a Dixie Union mare.
 
Timing cuts back from nine furlongs in his debut where he was off a beat slow, tracked the early pace and finished gamely to miss by three noses in a blanket finish. He was sent off at 7-2 in a field of seven. The Gargan barn has been very live at the meet, hitting at a 40% clip and overall is 22% winners (with a +ROI) with second out maidens. This guy is bred to handle a wet track, by Afleet Alex out of an Unbridled's Song mare that has dropped two other foals to race with one winner.
Race Rating: $$
Wagering
WIN: #4 to win at 7-2 or better.
EX: 1,4 / 1,3,4,6
TRI: 1,4 / 1,3,4,6 / 1,3,4,6,8
 
Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Aqueduct:
 
AQU Race 7 Clm $35,000N3L (4:28 ET)
#3 Promo Code   2-1
#7 Later Cat   4-1
#1 Starting Point / 1a Spectator Sport   7-5
#2 Family Biz   10-1
 
Analysis: Promo Code caught a sloppy tack last out against $50,000 non-winners of three. The colt tracked the early pace, took over the lead and then could not hold of the winner inside the final furlong in a runner up finish. The colt makes his third start off the bench here and appears to be sitting on a good one here as he drops in for a $35,000 tag. The barn has live runners in the final three races on today's card.
 
Later Cat earned a career top last out in his second start off the claim by the Ryerson in a third place finish against $25,000 non-winners of three at a mile., He was claimed three back out of a win versus $16,000 non-winners of two in the mud. He broke his maiden on a wet track as well and has a solid off track pedigree. He looks headed in the right direction form wise and should end up a fair price in this spot.
 
Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 2-1 or better.
EX: 3,7 / 1,2,3,7
TRI: 3,7 / 1,2,3,7 / 1,2,3,5,7
 
Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.
 
Aqueduct
R2: #2 Inclunation   8-1
R4: #1 Our Ticket   20-1
R4: #7 Bourbon High   8-1
R7: #2 Family Biz   10-1
R8: #5 Vorticity   10-1
 
Good luck today!

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