PLAYING THE PONIES
Sam Houston Race Park selections for Wednesday, Feb. 12
Feb 12, 2020, 6:41 am
PLAYING THE PONIES
Here are my selections for Wednesday afternoon 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
9-3-2-4
APPROVETHISMESSAGE will be tough if race comes off the grass
SECOND
6-1-4-7
MISLED's debut was a disaster but works since are sharp
THIRD
1-7-9-2
Another powerful Broberg entry that will take some beating
FOURTH
10-1-9-4
MR TICKLE keeps winning and looks good on either surface
FIFTH
11-8-7-2
BANDY'S MAP was not bad in two starts in Oklahoma and should be in the mix
SIXTH
6-7-2-1
COUNTENANCE was sharp in meet debut and could win right back
SEVENTH
4-6-5-10
ANNA'S LINGERIE is worth a flyer in a struggling group
EIGHTH
11-6-9-2
HURRY BACK should get a nice pace setup to make a late run
NINTH
6-1-2-9
IM A BARNKAT looks competitive in this spot
TENTH
1-5-12-10
AFFAIRS UNLIMITED responded to the claim n a big way in last
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team's spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.
He will be shut down until he's evaluated by the specialist.
“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night's series opener at Colorado. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We're just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”
Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.
The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it's uncertain when he'll play.
“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn't want.”
You can watch Brown discuss the setback in the video below.
#Astros GM Dana Brown has the latest on Yordan Alvarez who will see a hand specialist tomorrow
We'll discuss on @astros Pregame before tonight's game with the Rockies starting at 7PM on SCHN pic.twitter.com/7hyIFL9jah
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) July 1, 2025
Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.