PLAYING THE PONIES

Sam Houston Race Park selections for Wednesday, March 17

Sam Houston Race Park
Bigger Picture won Sunday's Connally Turf Cup. Coady photography

Here are my selections for Wednesday 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
6-1-7-3
GOLIATH RIDGE keeps getting closer and might finally break through


SECOND
2-6-1-5
LEMON ROSES should thrive with added distance and offers good value


THIRD

1-7-4-2
GAME SET AND MATCH has been OK in last two vs. better


FOURTH
8-7-2-3
BRENDA'S AN I FULL should be tough if race stays on turf


FIFTH
2-9-10-8
JUDY'S PRIZE was in tough in last and could pop at a price

SIXTH
6-1-3-4
KATE'S SECOND SILVER should be competitive in this spot


SEVENTH
3-9-11-10
MILLI STAR could offer some nice value; should do well at this distance


EIGHTH
7-6-8-1
MISS FUNNY GUN plunges in class and that should do the trick


NINTH
3-7-5-4
BANDY'S MAP gets in for a tag and should improve here


TENTH
4-6-7-3
BLACKROCK CASTLE could thrive with the surface switch and stretch out

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The Cougars beat the Bears, 76-65. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.

L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory.

Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury.

The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season.

Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10.

Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.

Takeaways

Baylor: The Bears missed an opportunity to add a marquee win and fell to 4-8 in Quad 1 games. Baylor’s lack of depth came into play as Houston outscored the Bears’ bench 24-1, and three starters played at least 35 minutes.

Houston: The Cougars improved to 5-3 in Quad 1 games and remained atop the Big 12 standings.

Key moment

Uzan hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-1 run and gave the Cougars a 26-16 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Houston’s lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.

Key stat

Houston, which entered forcing more than 14 turnovers per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally with a 5.2 turnover margin, forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.

Up next

Houston visits No. 13 Arizona on Saturday, while Baylor hosts West Virginia the same day.

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