Week two at Miami Fair preview

The half-mile oval in southern Manitoba has nine races on Saturday’s (July 22) card, and there will be plenty of action. There are a couple of drivers, trainers and horses to watch, and I’ll have my betting selections at the end.

Things to Watch

Blake Piwniuk drove four horses to victory last Saturday, and he has seven scheduled starts this week to try to add to that total. Piwniuk had 38 wins in 2022 and over $131,000 in earnings in the sulky. He will be looking to hit similar numbers this year and has the horses to do it. Piwniuk will team up again with Tuff As Buff (Sunshine Beach). The five-year-old gelding is true to his name and is a tough pacer. Tuff As Buff earned his first win of the year last Saturday at Miami Fair, and the duo will be looking to get another one. Piwniuk primarily drives for trainer Trevor Williams, who also had a great start to 2023. Williams had five wins in seven starts to kick off the brief meet at Miami Fair. He added one third-place finish to that and finished in the top three in 85.7% of his starts.

Another drive to watch out for is Michel Rey. He made two trips to the winner’s circle during the opening day card and finished in the top three six times in eight starts. Rey started the day with a big win teamed up with Braxton’s Boy (Whosurboy). The three-year-old colt picked up his first career win in his racing debut, and the duo will look for more on Saturday. Braxtons Boy drew the rail in the card’s fourth race but will face a more challenging field. Michel Rey drives for trainer Richard Rey who is also his father. Richard Rey had two wins to start his 2023 season and finished in the top three five out of six times. That’s put him in the top three 83.3% of the time early in the mini–Miami Fair meet and leaves him not far behind Williams.

The Piwniuk-Williams versus Rey-Rey battle will heat up as the season progresses.

Trey’s Picks

Race 1: 1-2-3-5

Race 2: 5-1-4-3

Race 3: 5-4-3-2

Race 4: 2-4-5-3

Race 5: 5-1-3-2

Race 6: 5-4-1-2

Race 7: 1-3-2-4

Race 8: 1-5-2-3

Race 9: 4-3-1-5

$1.00 Pick 4 (Races 5-8): 15/45/1/12

Post time on Saturday is set for 2:00 p.m. CDT. Miami Fairs’ last day of racing is July 29.

For complete Saturday race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink