Night Riders – Horse Pick from Mountaineer Race Track

Race-day: 4/21/2009

Race-time: 9:55 pm est.

Mountaineer’s feature race on Tuesday night is an allowance race in the 9th. But BetOnline Racebook fans might find more overlay chances in Race 8, a $7,500 claimer.

Ten horses are scheduled to run in Race 8 at Mountaineer on Tuesday night. That makes it a pretty competitive race.

Let’s analyze Race 8 at Mountaineer on Tuesday night.

Mountaineer – Race 8

Claiming $7,500

For Three Year Olds and Up

5 ½ furlongs on dirt

Hanway – - 6/1 morning line odds

Hanway didn’t race very well in his last but before that he had won three in a row. Granted, all three victories were at the $2,500 level but with a running line of 5 victories, 1 second, and 1 third, out of 8 lifetime races at 5½ furlong, Hanway has to be considered for a bet in this. He also won the only time he stepped onto the Mountaineer racing strip.

Explosive Warrior – - 5/2 morning line odds

This son of Chief Seattle goes second time off the claim for Loren Cox. That’s a 34% winning move. Not only that but at Mountaineer, Explosive Warrior has 2 victories and a second out of 4 lifetime races. He’s a serious player in this but the odds will be short for such a competitive field.

Excessively Groovy – - 6/1 morning line odds

Excessively Groovy is coming off of two straight victories. The only problem is that he’s also coming off of a layoff which isn’t a winning move for him. Still, he’s got a lot of speed and if nobody goes with him, he could leave the gate running and not look back. He’s a player.

Wagering Strategy

At odds of 6 to 1 or so, Hanway is a terrific wager to win and place. I will also put Hanway, Explosive Warrior and Excessively Groovy into an exacta and trifecta box.