Pimlico Race Course Picks – Friday, September 25, 2020

Pimlico Race Course continues Friday with its two-week lead-up to Stakes Day and the running of the 145^th Preakness.

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get right to my tips, picks, and predictions for Pimlico Race Course for Friday, September 25, 2020.

This is an allowance optional claiming race for two-year-old fillies running a distance of six furlongs for a purse of $42,000.

I like the second-favored (3/1) entry here—Miss Marley, ridden by Julian Pimentel. This filly moneyed both of her career starts.

At 20/1, I have to see Unrequited Love, with Weston Hamilton aboard, as a bargain for a show ticket. Like three of the morning line’s top choices, Unrequited Love moneyed two of her three career starts. Sure, she whiffed an ungraded stakes race, but that’s another data point she shares with those three.

This is an allowance race for three-year-olds and upward running a distance of six furlongs for a purse of $42,000.

I’m going with the 9/5 morning line favorite, Market Analysis, ridden by Sheldon Russell. This three-year-old gelding moneyed one of his two starts—a win. Incidentally, his sixth-place loss was in the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby back in March, where he finished behind fellow Kentucky Derby hopefuls King Guillermo and Solo Volante.

At 15/1, I like Stone Courageous, ridden by Daniel Centeno, for a value show bet. This three-year-old gelding moneyed four of his eight career starts, winning one.

This is an allowance optional claiming race for three-year-olds and upward running a distance of 1-1/8 miles on turf for a purse of $45,000.

I may need a PowerPoint presentation for this one. This turf race changes completely if the also-eligibles “main track only” entries come into the race—the top three morning line choices for turf vs. dirt differ entirely.

So, for turf only, I’m going with the third-favored (5/1) Nick Papagiorgio, with Horacio Karamanos in the irons. This four-year-old gelding moneyed 14 of his 21 career starts, winning seven of them.

If we go off-turf and onto the main track, I like the fourth-favored (9/2) also-eligible Artemis Bridge (jockey TBA) for the win. This four-year-old colt moneyed 14 of his 18 career starts, winning six of them.

If both Nick Papagiorgio and Artemis Bridge end up competing, I would tend to favor Nick Papagiorgio, but that could change depending on Artemis Bridge’s jockey.

The final lineup here is too uncertain to hazard a guess about long-odds surprises.

You can find my picks and predictions for the other two Triple Crown tracks here.