PLAYING THE PONIES
Sam Houston Race Park selections for Sunday, Jan. 26
Jan 26, 2020, 6:50 am
Bigger Picture won Sunday's Connally Turf Cup. Coady photography
Here are my selections for Sunday at Sam Houston Race Park for the special racing festival card. There will not be a better racing card in America today. There are several terrific races and high quality animals. It is a day you should enjoy. These selections 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
1-5-4-6
EMPIRE OF GOLD chased a nice runner in last and should be in the mix
SECOND
5-3-8-10
GRAY HOPE has some nice efforts over the turf course
THIRD
2-9-4-5
BOLD LEGEND has a pair of sharp efforts coming in and looks tough
FOURTH
1-3-7-5
THREE DEE FLAG has faced top company and should bounce back
FIFTH
4-1-11-10
FAST BOAT has two sharp efforts over difficult courses
SIXTH
6-5-4-1
MR MONEY BAGS is in good form and loves this surface
SEVENTH
4-7-1-11
BILLY BATS rates a slim edge in a wide open, talented group
EIGHTH
5-4-1-6
MYLADY CURLIN is a win machine but this is a tough group
NINTH
12-10-2-7
BEMMA'S BOY should be a nice price for a trainer who owns this race
TENTH
2-11-6-5
WINNING ENVELOPE caught yielding turf last two; should be better on a good track
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Astros carved up 2 of the NL’s best, but that’s just part of the story
Jun 30, 2025, 4:53 pm
The Houston Astros announced on Monday that additional imaging has revealed that Jeremy Peña is dealing with a small fracture in one of his ribs.
Peña left Friday's game after being hit by a pitch in the ribs. The club originally believed they had avoided any fractures or breaks, but new information has informed them otherwise.
Update on Jeremy Peña: pic.twitter.com/jfCsCUKWFx
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 30, 2025
Peña is heading to the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 28. This news comes at an unfortunate time, with Jeremy posting the best regular season numbers of his career. He's currently slashing .322, .378, .489 with an .867 OPS.
Peña will miss the Rockies and Dodgers series at a minimum.
Story on Peña headed to the IL with quotes from Dana Brown.
“This isn’t one of those things where you have to be sidelined the whole time. Once the inflammation goes down, he might feel good enough to swing a bat.” https://t.co/ih2G09Jpcf
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 30, 2025
Let's hope the team doesn't rush him back too soon and create an even bigger problem. These quotes above from Dana Brown have me concerned. Playing through injuries can create bad habits, and Jeremy has clearly found his swing this season.