The week got off to a strange start for our US Extra Place Race column with two of our three picks being scratched. The only horse that ran finished fourth.

Hopefully all three will run today and we’ve got a selection from Thistledown plus two from Presque Isle Downs for you to ponder. As always every tip comes from outside the top three according to the odds on the Morning Line and Betfred are paying out for a top three finish in all of the races selected from today…

We have one Extra Place Race on the card at Thistledown this Tuesday evening (19:50) and I’m bypassing a couple of average runs to make this selection. Yeguita Queen had a really strong winter/spring season down in Florida at Tampa Bay Downs, hitting the board in four of her five starts including two wins.

A layoff over the summer saw this five-year-old reemerge at Belterra Park where her speed figures went down drastically in two poor outings. Some horses just don’t get on with certain tracks and such a dramatic loss of speed is concerning but it might just be that. Her connections have moved her across to Thistledown and we’ll see if she can replicate the form of earlier this year. If this daughter of Liam’s Map can, then she’ll be right in the mix and at odds of 8/1 on the Morning Line, would be a strong each-way play.

Next up we take a trip to Presque Isle Downs where the 5/1 shot on the Morning Line, Worldly Beauty, should be well worth a look (21:21). This three-year-old filly has definitely improved in recent starts with speed figures the best of her albeit relatively short career so far.

As mentioned above, sometimes horses just take well (or not) to certain tracks and this young daughter of multiple Graded Stakes winner Commissioner has seen a clear uptick in performances on the synthetic surface at this Pennsylvania track. In five races all-time at the Erie venue, she has one win and three other places. In races at all other courses her best result was sixth. Take the Presque Isle Downs specialist to hit the board.

Last up and later on the card at the same venue (22:42) and we have a back-to-back winner at this track priced up at 10/1 on the Morning Line. That on paper seems a little bit strange.

Five-year-old Grey Invasion has raced a total of seven times on this course and has yet to finish any lower than third. All of the races have been at a mile or longer and he’s being asked to go a mile and a sixteenth here.

In a career of 33 starts, this David Wilheim trained horse has won just four times but on 17 other occasions finished second or third. So in 66% of his races, he’s hit the board. His previous two races also saw the highest speed figures of his career. At such a big price has to be a strong each-way play.