US Horse Racing Tips: Four Extra Place Race Picks for Thursday evening

Two places from four picks on Wednesday was a solid enough return for us although the two runs at Finger Lakes were both pretty disappointing considering their recent performances.

On to Thursday we go and once more we go four selections deep. As always all our our tips come from outside the top-three according to the Morning Line odds to best take advantage of Betfred’s Extra Place Race offerings…

Thursday’s selections start in the 18:00 at Delaware Park where we have two horses both priced up at 8/1 that I think have a real chance to hit the board.

Last month I tipped up Grand Arrow following three straight wins but she came fourth by a head, therefore missing out on a top-three spot. Until that race however, this Victor Barboza Jr. trained three-year-old had seen constant improvement in her speed figures in four straight races. Plenty to like and if you wanted to play her each-way, I couldn’t argue.

However, I’m going for the four-year-old filly Dry Humor instead. Her results have been worse than Grand Arrow but all importantly, her speed figures have been consistently a notch above.

This daughter of three-time grade I winner Practical Joke has a wonderful bloodline with Into Mischief and Harlan’s Holiday further up the chain. That alone is enough to expect good things.

She has raced in better fields down at Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs earlier in her career but has hit the board in three straight, at Tampa, here at Delaware Park and at Penn National.

Both would be good picks should they go off at 8s but I just prefer Dry Humor.

Belmont Park is undergoing renovation work so for the second year running, some of their dates have been switched over to Aqueduct for a special Belmont at the Big A meeting and that is where we go for our second selection of the evening.

Plenty of speed in the 18:36 with some big name trainers sending out horses. I’m liking the look of the rank outsider however, who has been around the NYRA scene since 2020 that has repeatedly found himself earning payouts for top three finishes.

I’m talking about the six-year-old out of Uncle Mo, Uncle Moonlight. Going back to 2021, this horse has missed out on the top three just once in 12 starts. That is pretty darn phenomenal and he has won four of those races. He went across to Saratoga last time out and was just beaten by the extremely highly-rated Accretive. Rare to really fancy an outsider but he has a really good chance.

Switching back to Delaware Park, where we have a very strangely named horse who is the fourth-choice according to the odds on the Morning Line, who could certainly outrun that price in the 20:00.

Tuna N Stamps (I mean what is that name?) has hit the board five times in six races including winning last time out at this track going the same five-and-a-furlongs as he’ll be asked to go this evening.

It will come as no surprise that was his best speed figure (according to HRN) of his nine-race career. The recent training runs have also caught the eye, having twice gone four-furlongs in 49:20.

Plenty of consistency and should we get that 6/1, a good each-way play to take advantage of Betfred paying out three places rather than two.

We finish our day at Presque Isle Downs in the 21:21 where a horse coming off a 11-month break returns to the track.

Six-year-old Shoot Your Cuffs ended his five-year-old campaign on a six-race streak of hitting the board. A model of consistency you might say. He has only ever raced here on this track having appeared in 24 races but that step forward in results and speed from last July through October was very noticeable.

We’ve seen him do four workouts in recent weeks and they’ve gotten better each time, culminating in going four-furlongs in 46:80 early last week. He looks ready to return to the track and be competitive. He’ll open up as the fourth choice on the Morning Line.