Delta Downs Picks – Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Maiden and claiming races are the main fare on the Delta Downs thoroughbred racing schedule for Tuesday.

If you plan to attend the races at Delta Downs on Tuesday, bear in mind that the winter storms hitting the Midwest are affecting the weather all the way to the Gulf, so while the skies over Vinton, Louisiana may be mostly sunny on Tuesday, you can expect the high temperature to be around 37 degrees.

Read on for my Delta Downs picks and betting tips for Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

This is a claiming race for three-year-olds running a distance of 6-1/2 furlongs for a purse of $24,000.

I’m backing the 5/2 morning line favorite here — Dried Pepper, ridden by Joel Dominguez. This gelding finished in the money six of his seven career starts, winning one.

There’s also an 8/1 sleeper you should keep an eye on — Bodemeister Wind, with Wallynette Rodriguez aboard. This colt won his single career starts — breaking his maiden just a couple of weeks ago here at Delta Downs.

As far as value show bets go, I only see a single longer-odds entry (15/1), and that’s not likely to happen.

This is a maiden special weight race for Louisiana-bred three-year-old fillies running a distance of five furlongs for a purse of $37,000.

I have to agree with the morning line in this maiden race, as well, so my win ticket is on the 5/2 favorite — Maggie’s Return, with Alex Birzer in the irons. This filly moneyed three of her five career starts — in fact, she’s the only horse in this field to have ever finished in the money.

There’s a veritable cornucopia of longer-odds entries in this race, including a couple of 20/1 longshots, but I don’t see any of them with the workout numbers to suggest they might earn a paycheck at the finish line. Let’s save our long money for later.

This is a claiming race for fillies and mares four years old and upward running a distance of one mile for a purse of $24,000.

I have to stick with the 8/5 morning line favorite here — Champagne Affair, with Timothy Thornton aboard. This four-year-old filly finished in the money six of her ten career starts, winning two.

I see another 8/1 sleeper here — Hurricane Tizway, ridden by Jose A. Guerrero. This four-year-old filly had money finishes in five of her ten career starts, with two wins.

No long-odds show bets in this race, so we save money.

Delta Downs was all about favorites and sleepers, but remember, I reviewed two other tracks for Tuesday: