BetAmerica’s horse racing pick of the day: July 20, Delaware Park

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Monday, July 20

Delaware Park Race 8: Allowance/optional claiming (5 furlongs on turf, 4:45 p.m. ET)

#6 Hotshot Anna (8-5 on the morning line) is the most accomplished runner in this turf sprint for fillies and mares. The 6-year-old mare is a three-time graded stakes winner with 12 wins from 27 starts, sufficient to bankroll nearly a million dollars in earnings.

But Hotshot Anna’s greatest successes have come on synthetic tracks, and while she’s a stakes winner on grass, racing on the lawn really isn’t her forte. She’s also 0-for-3 this season, making her tough to trust at a short price.

Instead, let’s take a shot with #2 Miss Auramet (3-1), Early speed has been supremely dominant in 5-furlong turf sprints at Delaware Park this meet, and Miss Auramet definitely has speed. The 4-year-old filly was an easy allowance winner over this distance at Gulfstream Park during the winter, dueling through fast splits of :21.49 and :43.85 before pulling away to score by 3 3/4 lengths.

A repeat of that effort should be sufficient to land Miss Auramet in the winner’s circle for hot trainer Jorge Duarte (3-for-9 at Delaware this season) and high-percentage jockey Roberto Alvarado (7-for-33). Let’s bet Miss Auramet to win and play her on top of Hotshot Anna in the exacta:

$20 to Win on #2 Miss Auramet
$5 Exacta: 2 with 6
Total: $25

Good luck!