Timeform US SmartPlays: Tuesday October 14

On what is a pretty desperate day's racing Stateside overall, the eleventh race at Zia Park (due off at 23:55 BST) stands out as a contest of note. The $55k Zia Park Stakes has attracted a field of eight two-year-old fillies, of which 95-rated Exit West looks by some way the most promising. The Steve Asmussen-trained youngster has won both her starts to date - at Lone Star and Remington - and posted a particularly good time when accounting for previous winner Supermason on the second of them. The main danger here may be a pace battle, given the previous run styles of Colinda Dawn and Cat Trap, but the clock says that Exit West will have what it takes to win that battle and probably the war as well.    
 
Candy Raider has not win since 2012, but there is good reason to think that he can change things in race 3 at Mountaineer (due off at 00:44 BST). There have been several creditable  efforts from him in the meantime, including third places on six occasions this year already, as well as a respectable fourth at this track last time. Connections seem to have lost patience with taking on horses rated in the 70s on Timeform form ratings and have dropped him in class to a modest claimer on this occasion. The majority of his efforts this year give Candy Raider a good chance, and at his best he should win. The return to a mile and dirt (from seven furlongs on turf) can be considered a positive to boot. 

Race 6 at Mountaineer (due off at 01:50 BST) looks a good opportunity for J J's Deputy to get back to winning ways. The four-year-old took a modest maiden at Charles Town in May before three successive fourth placings at that track from July to September. This $20k Allowance represents something of a class drop by our reckoning, and, as much to the point, J J's Deputy could well get her way up front in a smallish field in which only rank outsider Cradle Robbin has a similar pace profile among her rivals. The longer distance is a slight concern, but the likely odds make a bet on J J's Deputy a risk worth taking.   

Timeform US SmartPlays:
Race 11 Zia Park (23:55 BST) win back #3 EXIT WEST at 2.8815/8 or longer
Race 3 Mountaineer (00:44 BST) win back #10 CANDY RAIDER at 3.55/2 or longer
Race 6 Mountaineer (01:50 BST) win back #7 J J'S DEPUTY at 3.39/4 or longer