The seventh race at Mountaineer Park is 5 1/2 furlongs in length. It’s a 24k Maiden Special Weight race for three year old maidens. There are eight horses in the field. The favorite is Roman Legasy. He’s a three year old colt. He’s also the strong consensus pick for this race. The field is a bit green. Roman Legasy has one race, which was at Churchill Downs on May 13. That race was a 23k Maiden Special Weight. He started off slow, but came on down the stretch. Still, he finished second—four lengths behind.

I am going to take Great Effort in this race. He’s a three year old Gelding and is 9-2 according to the morning line. I would suspect he will get action and he might go off at 3-1. At this length, I think Great Effort has more consistency. He should be right in the thick of things all the way through. His last race was on June 17 at Mountaineer Park. It was also a 24k Maiden Special Weight race. He pretty much held second throughout the race. He is on lasix.

I think running back on this track is going to give Great Effort and edge. He looks to be improving. He also has a better trainer/jockey combo than Roman Legasy. Great Effort should finish in the money and should be right there for the win. If you are looking for a first time starter to add to the mix, look at Steelofthecentury. At 3-1 on the morning line, he won’t be too much of a surprise.