Playing the Ponies

Sam Houston Race Park selections for Saturday, March 2 with bonus play on the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream

Horses leave the gate at Sam Houston Race Park
Courtesy photo

Here are my selections for Saturday. 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). I included a play on the big Kentucky Derby prep this weekend, the Fountain of Youth.

Fountain of Youth bonus play

There will be a heavy favorite in the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream in No. 7 Hidden Scroll. But he only has one dominant race under his belt. He could crush this group, but he could also miss the board. So we will take a flyer on No. 4 Bourbon War. We will key him first and second in the trifectas with six other horses. That will be $60 total for a buck, $30 if you play it for .50. Here is the play: 4 with 1-5-6-7-8-9 with 1-5-6-7-8-9 and 1-5-6-7-8-9 with 4 with 1-5-6-7-8-9.

Sam Houston selections

FIRST
7-6-1-2
TEXAS STYLE CS
Should improve with drop from stakes company


SECOND
3-2-6-8
COUNTRY KING finds a soft spot and should be tough here


THIRD
5-1-7-9
HIGHWAY SONG
Crushed most of these in last and would need to regress not to do it again


FOURTH

3-7-6-5
ARCH VALUE bounced in last but should fare better here


FIFTH
5-1-9-2
REAL DE JAPA
Should improve with a start over the surface; price is square


SIXTH

2-1-4-3
IRISH CITY LAD
Just nudged the second choice in last; should come down to these two again


SEVENTH
6-1-4-2
FLYING MAGIC SONG
Has been very OK on grass recently, not so good off it. Contender if race stays on turf


EIGHTH

2-3-7-5
MISCHIEF GALORE is one of two Asmussen contenders in this one


NINTH

8-7-2-5
WILLTHERESAWAY might have needed last and could surprise

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Can the Astros still compete with the Yankees and Dodgers? Composite Getty Image.

The World Series begins this Friday, featuring a matchup between two teams the Astros are very familiar with, the Dodgers and the Yankees.

After watching how the NLCS and ALCS played out, one thing has become very clear. Both of these teams are capable of scoring a lot of runs. Something the Astros struggled with in the regular season and in their two playoff games against the Tigers.

Houston only scored one run through the first 15 innings of their series with Detroit. And despite having a team OPS in the Top 10 for most of the season, they were only middle of the pack when it came to runs scored.

There's no way around it, if the Astros want to compete for a championship, they're going to have to improve their offense. To be fair, they're fully capable of winning the AL West as currently constructed, but it's hard to imagine this team going toe to toe with the top offenses in baseball and having success. Especially if Alex Bregman signs elsewhere this offseason.

Considering where the team is from a salary perspective, we doubt owner Jim Crane is looking to spend a ton of money this offseason. So if the club wants to improve the offense, they'll likely have to get creative. That could involve making some trades, or just getting more out of the players they already have. A change in their hitting approach could be the answer. Like taking more pitches and working more walks.

But who knows, maybe Crane will be more aggressive after watching his team take a step back over the past two seasons. When the Yankees missed the playoffs last year, they traded for Juan Soto, and that move is already paying huge dividends.

Yankees GM takes a shot at the Astros

Brian Cashman went out of his way to blame the Yankees' World Series drought on the Astros this week. And we all know Houston's history with both the Dodgers and Yankees.

If Astros fans were forced to choose, which team would they rather see win it all this year?

Don't miss the video above for the full discussion!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon. Find all via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.


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