Mahoning Valley: Horse racing pick of the day for Oct. 26

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Monday, Oct. 26

Mahoning Valley, Race 6: Maiden special weight (6 furlongs, 3:04 p.m. ET)

#8 Docsluckycat (3-1 on the morning line) looks live in this maiden sprint for Ohio-bred juveniles.

A son of 2013 Preakness (G1) runner-up Itsmyluckyday, Docsluckycat flashed speed in his debut sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Thistledown, where he tracked quick splits of :22.40 and :46.46 and finished clearly second best.

In a return to action just three weeks later, Docsluckycat should show improvement for trainer Michael Rone, who strikes at a 30% rate with second-time starters.

Ultra-hot jockey Luis Rivera (four wins from nine starts at the Mahoning Valley meet) has retained the mount, so let’s bet Docsluckycat to win and key him over #1 Victory Division and #1A Hakman (a coupled entry favored at 8-5) in the exacta.

$23 to win on #8 Docsluckycat
$7 exacta: 8 with 1
Total: $30

Good luck!