PLAYING THE PONIES

Sam Houston Race Park selections for Friday, March 22

Fred Faour
Mar 22, 2019, 6:12 am
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Here are my selections for Friday. These are not meant to be in exact order, but merely the four horses I think have the best chance to win. For beginners, I suggest exacta boxes with three horses, using two of mine and one of your own. And you can always pick up a copy of Acing Racing 2016 to learn everything you need to know. (These are the picks and format that are available on the free tip sheet at SHRP).

FIRST

8-9-1-4
EASTER MAN might be better at this distance and could pull off another mild upset


SECOND
1-7-8-10
UPTOWN SANDY GIRL has not lost against females since Nov. of 2017 (five straight)


THIRD
7-6-3-5
ASI FUE makes a second start off a layoff and should improve


FOURTH
3-8-1-5
SHANGHAID ROO has struggled recently but barn does little wrong here


FIFTH
6-9-8-1
MY FAIR MAID flashed speed in debut against a tough group


SIXTH
7-2-4-5
BWANA GO will be a short price but looks very strong in this spot


SEVENTH
5-6-1-2
CARA QUEEN has been close and this should be the night it gets done


EIGHTH
2-6-9-8
GOLD BUYER might want more distance but should be in the mix

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Astros on life support: Realities for the tough final stretch

With so much on the line for the Astros this past weekend, they couldn't possibly get swept by the Royals, could they?

That's exactly what they did thanks to some poor pitching, and an inability to get timely hits with runners in scoring position.

The Astros are currently clinging to the last wild card position as they head to Seattle to face the Mariners, with Justin Verlander on the mound for the 'Stros.

Starting pitching has been the biggest issue for the club as of late, with Hunter Brown looking unusable moving forward. Brown has given up, wait for this, 6 earned runs or more in 3 of his last 4 starts. His ERA for the season is now over 5.

So how will the rotation look over the final stretch of games? We know for the Mariners series the team is rolling out Verlander, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez.

The club is off on Thursday, and they head to Arizona for a 3-game series with the Diamondbacks that starts Friday. We predict JP France will pitch Friday, with Justin Verlander likely taking the ball Saturday.

Then all bets are off for Sunday. It could be Framber on 3-days rest, or all hands on deck for a bullpen game.

Of course, with the division race being so close, things could change on a daily basis. There's even a scenario where Arizona secures their wild card, and the final two games of the season don't matter for them.

The other big factor will be the outcome of the 4-game Rangers-Mariners series that finishes off the season.

Be sure to watch the video above as we examine all the scenarios leading up to the end of the regular season for Houston, and much more!

Watch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) every Thursday on SportsMap Houston's YouTube channel.

And listen to ESPN 97.5 and 92.5 FM for Houston's best sports talk.

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