PLAYING THE PONIES

Sam Houston Race Park selections for Friday, March 6

Sam Houston Race Park selections for Friday, March 6
Coady photography

Here are my selections for Friday night at Sam Houston Race Park. 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
4-1-2-3
MEN OF KYLE has been off since September but will be in the mix if ready


SECOND
1-6-4-7
TELL ME U LOVE ME gets back in with maidens off a nice stakes effort


THIRD
10-1-3-7
MISTER STRANGE was no match for winner in last but catches an easier group


FOURTH
5-1-3-8
RAMBLIN FEVER was only beaten a length against slightly tougher last out


FIFTH

8-9-1-4
CHAMPAGNE'S ON ICE was not bad in meet debut; barn winning at a nice clip

SIXTH

3-2-8-6
PROSPECTOR FEVER has been tough this meet at this level


SEVENTH
5-1-2-6
MADISON'S WILD ONE lost the race at the start in last; prior was impressive


EIGHTH
1-3-6-5
EXCITING is very tough at this trip if the race stays on the grass


NINTH
5-7-2-1
SUNDANCE SEVEN might pop on the turn back in distance


TENTH
9-6-4-3

ON TILT should be a nice fit in this group shipping in from Oaklawn


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Yordan Alvarez recently saw a hand specialist. Composite Getty Image.

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez’s setback to his recovery from a fractured right hand is not as serious as first feared, general manager Dana Brown said Thursday.

Alvarez, who suffered the injury on May 2, was shut down after experiencing pain in his right hand. He had taken some swings at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday and when he arrived there on Tuesday the area was sore.

He was examined by a specialist, who determined inflammation was the issue and not a setback with the fracture.

“It had nothing to do with the fracture, or the fracture not being healed,” Brown said before Houston’s game at Colorado. “The fracture at this point is a non-factor, which we’re very glad about. And so during the process of him being examined by the specialist, we saw the inflammation, and Yordan did receive two shots in that area.”

Alvarez first experienced issues with his hand in late April but stayed in the lineup. He was initially diagnosed with a muscle strain but a small fracture was discovered at the end of May.

Brown said there has not been an update on the timetable for Alvarez’s return but said with the latest update it “could be in the near future.”

“Yordan is going to be in a position where he’s going to let rest and let the shot take effect, and then as long as he’s starting to feel better, we’ll put a bat in his hand before we start hitting, but we’ll just let him feel the bat feels like,” Brown said. “And then we’ll get into some swings in the near future, but I felt like it was encouraging news. Now, with this injection into the area that was inflamed, we feel a lot better.”

Alvarez, who averaged 34 home runs over the previous four seasons, has just three in 29 games this year and is batting .210. He was the 2021 ALCS MVP for the Astros and finished third in the AL MVP voting for 2022.

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