Playing the Ponies
Sam Houston Race Park selections for Wednesday, Feb. 5
Feb 5, 2020, 6:45 am
Bigger Picture won Sunday's Connally Turf Cup. Coady photography
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
8-5-2-4
WORLD offers no value on the win end but looks hard to beat here
SECOND
6-8-3-2
LITTLE AVENGER should close out a short priced Asmussen double
THIRD
5-4-8-6
RAMAAH stretches out off an OK debut and should handle the distance
FOURTH
9-10-6-4
APPOLINA's form in California wasn't bad; in the mix if it translates
FIFTH
8-1-4-12
HE'S A SUITOR was not bad in Delta debut and should improve
SIXTH
2-4-1-5
SHANGHAI SKIPPER should improve with a race over the surface under his belt
SEVENTH
5-6-1-10
TORNADO MAN came up short against a nice field in last; could get it done here
EIGHTH
5-6-7-2
MADIBA ships in from Delta and drops in class for Broberg
NINTH
10-7-4-9
CRITICAL DECISION was a beaten favorite against better in last
TENTH
4-2-9-10
ROSE LARUE ran a nice one in last and a repeat puts her in the mix
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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.