US Horse Racing Tips: Three picks to start the weekend

Our US horse racing expert Paul Quigley is back with a trio of horses running Stateside this Saturday. Read on for his US Horse Racing Tips for Saturday February 22.

The weekend feature Stateside, The Grade 2 Rebel Stakes has been moved to Sunday due to bad weather in The Oaklawn area, however, there are some stakes on Saturday.

The feature race at Gulfstream is a stake run over six furlongs on the dirt due off at 20:44. The class of the race is Wes Ward’s No4 Nakatomi. The late runner is having his first race since The Breeders’ Cup. He’s best with pace to chase down but he did sit handier when winning a Grade 1 at Saratoga in the summer. If he is a very skinny price, there may be alternatives.

Trainer Saffie Jospeh has entered a quartet of runners. His speedy No6 Concrete Glory is on a hat-trick. No7 Comedy Town has a little more class. He did finish half a length behind No4 Nakatomi in October. No2 Gordian Knot is a five time stakes winner who makes his first start in the care of trainer Todd Pletcher.

Laurel Park Race 7 (20:10) – The Wide Country Stakes – No2 Icona Mama

No5 Onyx Ten, No7 Shkhara Fire and No8 Not Too Late finished one-two-three in a local stakes over six furlongs last month. The winner did run well in her one start over seven furlongs but did finish just behind No4 Safe Trust. That filly made a winning return just over a fortnight ago.

No2 Icona Mama may be best here. The only time she was well beaten was in a Grade 1 at Aqueduct in October. She’s been absent since slamming Pennsylvania breds in November but is proven fresh. Her placed efforts in a stake at Saratoga and a Grade 3 at Churchill are the best lines of form in here.

Tampa Bay Downs Race 8 (20:58) – The Lightning City Stakes - No2 Sol Hope

The lightly raced No11 Risk Threshold will take plenty of money. She ran third in a stake over six furlongs at Aqueduct in November. A repeat of that form will see her go very close. She’s speedy so the cut back a furlong may not be a problem. What may be is her wide draw. That is also the issue with No12 Beauty of the Sea.

No9 Great Venezuela ran well in a stake over a mile on her return at Gulfstream. She rounded out 2024 with a hat-trick of victories sprinting. She’s worth considering but the vote goes to likely second favourite here No2 Sol Hope. She won running first time for trainer Saffie Joseph at Gulfstream in October. The six year old may have doubled up but for finding trouble on her return last month. She draws well and Irad Ortiz may get a nice trip just off the speed.       

Tampa Bay Downs Race 10 (21:58) – The Turf Dash Stakes – No2 Souper Quest

The more talented runners in this race are drawn wide. Former South African sprint champion No11 Isivunguvungu won a stake on his Stateside debut and ran well at The Breeders’ Cup. If Samuel Marin can work out a trip without losing too much ground, he is likely to go close. That is also the case with No8 Our Shot and No9 American Monarch who are drawn less wide. No8 Our Shot has a touch of class, winning a Grade 2 at Keeneland in October. No9 American Monarch went close to rattling up a hat-trick in New York in May. He’s been working well for his first start since July.

Speedster No1 Super Chow may have only been entered in case this race comes off the turf. Whether he takes his chance or not, No2 Souper Quest should be able to run his race on or more likely just off the pace. He’s not raced since October but is proven fresh. He faded behind No8 Our Shot in his last race. That was over five and a half furlongs. Maybe a win bet on him and a reversed forecast with old rival No8 Our Shot is the way to go.

Paul Quigley is a long-time US Racing fan and tipster. He provides US Horse Racing Tips for Betfred Insights as well as working for Betfred TV...