Greyhound Preview: Southland for 8/1/2014

There is an entertaining evening of greyhound racing on tap for Friday with 18 exciting races on the schedule. The highlight of the program is the TwinSpires.com People's Choice Challenge contest in the 10th which features an all-star lineup of outstanding greyhounds going paw to paw for the win. I have included that race in the picks so let's get the party started. Good luck to all and thanks for reading.

Race 2 - Grade C - 660 yard course - The key here is the (1) Slatex Sonoma who loves the rail and who is coming off a win in her last time out in which she ran her fastest time ever at this distance. I like her to come right back with another big effort and the one box gives her the edge. The (2) Magic Sprint will be worthy competition however and I'm not going to overlook him despite being bumped in five of his last six races. The one time in those six starts when he didn't get bumped, he won the race, a good break would certainly be beneficial. To complete the play, I'll use the(8) Shanagolden and the (7) PJ Inthemoney as both have raced as high as grade A.

Pick 1-2-8-7

Race 4 - Grade C - 583 yard course - I'm liking the (7) Sakkara Me O My again as I had him last time out and unfortunately he ran into trouble around the turn. He likes it wide and he did win a B grade race from the seven box just a few months back so I'll give him another shot here. The (5) CBJ Firecracker is a young pup who has been running hard as evidenced by three top two finishes in his last five starts, he has a nice rush and could be in good shape by the turn. The (3) PJ Ricco Suave is coming off a nice win last time and already has 4 wins in his young career of 10 races.  I'll include the (6) Benny Dunn as he is a double drop in grade.

Pick 7-5-3-6

Race 10 - Grade SAA - 583 yard course - This is the TwinSpires.com People's Choice Challenge and features some of the best greyhounds not only at Southland but in the country as well. The pick here is the (9) Flying Titanium who is going for his fifth straight win. This extremely talented greyhound has won 22 races out of 35 in his career and will be vying for the early lead. The (1) Atascocita Gray is the recent 2014 Southland Derby winner and beat Flying Titanium in that contest just a few weeks back. A definite threat here as these two should battle paw to paw once again. The (8) CBJ Old Glory and the (5) U Too Pure Silk are worthy competitors and capable of spoiling the party if the leaders encounter any trouble.

Pick 9-1-8-5

Race 18 - Grade AA - 703 yard course - I'm going with the (8) Flying War Wager as the one to beat here. This impressive greyhound has eight straight top three finishes including five wins, all over this same distance. She is running great and will be coming strong down the stretch and I think wins it at the wire. The (3) Blyzzud  likes the inside and can go early or come from behind, he is also running hard and should challenge for the win. I like the (2) RCK Go For Jen as she is an inside runner with some good early speed and will be among the frontrunners right out of the box. Not to be overlooked for tri and superfecta plays is the (7) Boc's Yohanblake who is out fast and will be looking for room to run on the rail.

Pick 8-3-2-7

The Moneymaker pick of the evening is in the 14th race, a grade D contest over the 593 yard course and is the (7) Keeper Ratchet.  This young greyhound is off to a nice start in her career with three top four finishes including a win from the same seven box he is in tonight. Her lines include an impressive schooling win of 11 lengths and even though she had much trouble last time, she has shown potential so I'll give her a play here.