Tip of the Week: One To Get Ready

Horses racing at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Hard as it may be to believe, 2015 is nearly at its halfway point.
Imagine that.
Some horses have already been quite busy this year. Yet for others, the year is just beginning and the opportunity for handicappers to cash in on these “fresh” horses is at hand.
Take Divine Praises for example.
When she was entered in the ninth race on June 12 at Churchill Downs, it marked just her second start of 2015 and a prime chance to make a wager on her.
The 3-year-old filly made her career debut last year on Aug. 17 at Saratoga when she finished third by 10 ¾ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong sprint.
After that, trainer Bill Mott kept her on the sidelines until May 9 at Churchill Downs when he entered her in a one-turn mile maiden test. Off the nine-month break, she pressed the pace, bid for the lead in the stretch but could not sustain it and settled for a runner-up effort,  4 ¼ lengths behind the winner.
Clearly, Divine Praises needed her seasonal debut and for the next month, Mott allowed her to recover and continue to develop off her promising comeback effort.
Using a couple of sharp blowouts to keep his filly on edge, Mott’s belief that Divine Praises was ready to move forward was reflected in his decision to enter her in a two-turn maiden race at a mile and a sixteenth.
Everything pointed to a solid showing and Divine Praises lived up to those expectations as she posted a length and three-quarters victory as the 8-5 second choice, returning $5.20 for a $2 win bet.
THE LESSON: A promising comeback effort can often set the stage for a winning performance next time out.
DIVINE PRAISES PAST PERFORMANCES