The fastest racehorses in the country are back in action as the 2024 Ajax Downs Quarter Horse season gets underway May 8.
Most of the horses competing in the next couple of weeks have been on vacation since the end of the 2023 season, in October, while a few have had winter training or racing. However, there are several trends and tips that you can use to uncover a winner in the early days of the Ajax Downs season.
Opening day's first race post time is 1:30 p.m. and racing continues each Wednesday with a special Sunday event day of racing added once a month in the summer.
The Trainer Play
Some trainers get started preparing their horses for the racing season earlier than others and it's a good idea to check out some of the results of the first few days of past meetings. After the first month of racing in 2023, trainers Bryn Robertson, Scott Reid, Bob Broadstock and Jason Pascoe had multiple winners. Their returning runners will often show a couple of workouts in April following the bulk of their winter training being done in the winter months at their farms.
Pascoe, Ajax Downs' reigning leading trainer also had a few of his Ajax horses make a start at the short Sandy Ridge Quarter Horse meeting in Kentucky in March. Another large stable that races at Ajax Downs is that of young trainer Lauren Spada, who prepares her horses at a farm and then at Fort Erie racetrack beginning in the second week of April.
Historical race results for any racetrack can be found at
www.equibase.com.
Fresh as a Daisy
Some horses will run their best races after a vacation and others may also run better in the spring season – and to some extent, fall – when the weather is cooler. In other words, some horses do their best when they are ‘fresh.’
Take a look at the past performances from Equibase for BLUE EYED MERLIN (yes, he has a blue eye), who competes at Ajax Downs in the fourth race on opening day:
On May 10, 2023, which was opening day of last year's Quarter Horse season, Blue Eyed Merlin was almost 5-1 and he was sharp out of the gate and won by a length. He posted a speed index of 93, which would turn out to be his best race of the season. As a side note, Blue Eyed Merlin was trained last year by his breeder James Bogar. New trainer Nicole Clark is an assistant to Bogar at his Cameron, Ont., farm.
Interestingly, Bogar has the filly Senator Rose in this same race and she won her career debut, when fresh, last June. This should make for an interesting matchup on Wednesday.
Recent Form
Horses who have a race under their belt while meeting rivals who are returning from time off have an edge.
In Race 2 on Wednesday, No. 6 CINDY LOO WHO is making her first ever start at Ajax Downs for trainer Pascoe. This filly came off a layoff from Sept. 2023 to March 2024 when she finished fourth. In addition, Cindy Loo Who had a workout at Ajax on Apr. 28 – a bullet (fastest of the day for the distance) at 12.22 for 220 yards.
That makes this filly an interesting prospect for the win and the first leg of the Pick 4 wager (select the winners of four consecutive races).
Experience in Maiden Races
In the spring you will see many races for maidens (horses who have never won a race) and it’s a good idea to give a long look to the experienced runners in these early races.
In Wednesday's Race 5, both No. 3 FIESTY FEEBEE and No. 5 SUGE have each had seven career starts with each picking up a few second- and third-place finishes. The former was third in a Stakes race last year and features plenty of talent, while Suge had a bullet workout on Apr. 28.
Those are a few horses to consider along with some wagering tips for spring betting at Ajax Downs.
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