PLAYING THE PONIES
Sam Houston Race Park selections for Saturday, March 21
Mar 21, 2020, 6:06 am
PLAYING THE PONIES
Here are my selections for Saturday 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
4-6-1-3
BIG EM C is a win machine and should be tough
SECOND
6-8-7-3
PADDLE WHEEL should get a nice trip behind the dueling front-runners
THIRD
4-6-1-3
LETHAL MOVE is consistent and fits well in this spot
FOURTH
6-1-2-3
GOLD PILOT is in sharp form and beat many of these in last
FIFTH
1-4-7-6
GEE SHE SPARKLES needed last and should take a step forward
SIXTH
5-2-4-6
REDATORY thrives in these Texas bred stakes races
SEVENTH
10-4-5-9
SUGAR FOOTIN BLING has some sharp efforts coming into this
EIGHTH
7-8-4-3
TEXAS BELLE romped in last; fits well here
NINTH
8-7-5-1
HES OUR FASTEST has been knocking heads with some tough runners
TENTH
11-7-9-5
XINGFU should be better with return to the turf course
For the Houston Rockets, it's already been an exciting offseason, with the team trading for NBA superstar Kevin Durant earlier this week. The Rockets also inked extensions with big man Steven Adams and head coach Ime Udoka in recent weeks.
Apparently the action isn't slowing down as the Rockets have reportedly agreed to a contract extension with guard Fred VanVleet.
Senior ESPN NBA analyst Sham Charania is reporting that VanVleet intends to sign a 2-year, $50 million contract with Houston.
Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet intends to sign a two-year, $50 million contract to stay with the franchise, with a player option in 2026-27, sources tell ESPN. Rockets are declining VanVleet's $44.9 million team option and land the new deal with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul. pic.twitter.com/rwtEUptBQT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2025
Charania is also reporting that VanVleet has a player option for the 2026-2027 season.
In 60 games, VanVleet averaged just over 14 points and 5.6 assists per game last season.
This is a team-friendly deal for the Rockets that gets them below the luxury tax line, helping them avoid the repeater tax. It also opens up the full $14.1 million mid-level exception to add more talent to the roster. For VanVleet, it's more total money and an extra year of security.
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