Monmouth Park: Horse racing pick of the day for Oct. 21

Weekday picks and plays for Thoroughbred racing.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Monmouth Park, Race 8: Allowance (6 furlongs, 4:10 p.m. ET)

#5 Inner Ghost (4-1 on the morning line) isn’t the field’s fastest runner in terms of Brisnet Speed ratings, but I believe he has upside for trainer Michael Stidham.

A beautifully bred son of Ghostzapper, out of a Bernardini mare, Inner Ghost showed promise in his debut sprinting 5 furlongs over the Monmouth turf course, where he tracked the pace and battled to victory by a head over future stakes winner It Can Be Done.

Inner Ghost failed to fire in the Del Mar Juvenile Turf S., when he finished last of 10, but I’m tempted to forgive this effort, because he shipped across the country and stretched out to a mile.

A return to Monmouth and a cutback to 6 furlongs should suit Inner Ghost, and his pedigree suggests the switch to dirt won’t be an issue.

His morning-line price of 4-1 seems fair, so we’ll take a simplistic approach and bet Inner Ghost to win.

$20 to win on #5 Inner Ghost

Good luck!