Fair Grounds Race Course Betting Picks – Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Along with eight other maiden, allowance, and claiming races, Fair Grounds Race Course brings us the Mardi Gras Stakes (Black Type) to brighten our thoroughbred racing outlook for Tuesday.

And while I review that stakes race as well as two other big-purse runs here, remember that you can find the entire nine-race card for Tuesday at Fair Grounds at one of our recommended online racebooks.

Read on for my Fair Grounds Race Course picks and tips for Tuesday, February 16, 2021.

This is an allowance optional claiming race for four-year-olds and upward running a distance of six furlongs for a purse of $57,000.

My money is on one of the third-favored entries (there are three at 6/1) in this race — Hilton Magic, with James Graham in the irons. This six-year-old gelding moneyed 15 of his 23 career starts, winning seven, which gives him a statistical advantage over the morning line favorite, as well as the rest of the six-horse field.

The longest odds in this run are 6/1, so I have no value show ticket recommendations for you here.

This is an allowance optional claiming race for three-year-old fillies running a distance of six furlongs for a purse of $56,000.

I like the second-favored horse (7/2) in this race — Malibu Bird, with Adam Beschizza in the irons. This filly moneyed two of her four career starts, winning one.

There’s only one long-odds entry in this race, and I like the 12/1 Taylor’s Tourist, with Chester Bonnet aboard, for a value show bet for several reasons. One is her record: Three money finishes in six career starts, with one of them a win.  

I also like the fact that she’s been competing mostly in stakes races. She finished second, in fact, in the Untapable Stakes (Black Type) at Kentucky Downs last September.

This is the Mardi Gras Stakes, a Black Type stakes race for fillies and mares four years old and upward running a distance of 5-1/2 furlongs on turf for a purse of $75,000.

While I’m impressed with the record of Into Mystic, the morning line favorite, I’m buying a win ticket on the second-favored (7/2) horse, Elle Z, ridden in this race by Mitchell Murrill. This four-year-old filly moneyed five of her eight career starts, winning four.

And at 20/1, Misty Day, with Diego Saez aboard, is a solid value show wager. This four-year-old filly moneyed seven of her eight career starts, winning four. Frankly, I think she’s worth an across the board wager.

Fair Grounds Race Course has plenty of profit opportunities for us, and there’s still the other two tracks I reviewed for Tuesday to consider: