Get A Hunch, Bet A Bunch

One day does not a season make, but five wins from 10 races is a promising start. Demonstrating again, however, that money management usually is tougher than picking winners, that handicapping produced only a $2 profit.

Tonight, we’ll learn how quickly the new sandy surface drains. It could be sloppy, but it might be fairly firm.

If it’s sloppy, the bettors may be line up behind Challenging Knight, who’s already a horse for the course, in the fourth. Explosive Gold (1st) and Tarab (8th) also love the local track, if not tonight’s going.

The Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup simulcast, carded as the 10th race, will be run as the fifth.

Here are tonight’s selections:

$2 daily doubles coupling EXPLOSIVE GOLD, SENSATIONAL KNIGHT and TAKEOFF WARNING in the first race with MOUNTAIN MACKEE in the second ($6).

SECOND: $5 to win on MOUNTAIN MACKEE.

THIRD: $5 exactas pairing MAHERAS DELIGHT with HAUGHTY N NAUGHTY and ROYAL LIONESS ($10).

FOURTH: $5 quinella combining PAVE and SUBSCRIBE.

EIGHTH: $5 quinella combining TARAB, MY BEST HABIT and SIR TIGER K. ($15).

NINTH: $10 to win on RANCHO JAK.

Original bankroll: $2,000.

Friday’s results: Won $2.

Present bankroll: $2,002.