The Loop Picks – Aug. 23, 2025

The Loop is back in action on Saturday with another eight-dash card. The premium wagering option of the day is the Pick 4 which starts in fifth.

Three Things to 👀 This Saturday

The return of Lookinlikeamillion tops my list of things to watch this weekend. The 4-year-old gelding returns to Manitoba after racing in Ontario. He has a lifetime mark of 1:53.2 but has clocked faster times in losing efforts. The Armbro Baylor product currently holds the record for the fastest mile by a two-year-old at The Loop. He could certainly flirt with the overall track record if the pace demands it. He draws the rail in the sixth race and teams up with veteran reinsman Richard Remillard.

The Opens this summer have been my favorite races to watch and call, and this week’s edition promises to be another thriller. The Queen of the Filly & Mares Open, Hurry Home, will finally take on the juggernaut that is Ginger Tree Finny. Hurry Home won back-to-back Filly and Mare Opens and made it three in a row with a win in the Open. That third straight victory forced her to sit out last week, which was unfortunate timing—Ginger Tree Finny returned after his own three-race win streak. His comeback wasn’t exactly triumphant, as he finished third, likely due to being assigned the dreaded post seven. This week, Hurry Home draws post three, with Ginger Tree Finny just to her right in post four. Both have early speed, and a battle to the front is all but guaranteed. The Open is scheduled as the seventh race on the program.

Possibly the most intriguing race of the day, in my opinion, is the third. The 2-1 morning line favorite, Chief Is Boss, ships in from Alberta and will be looking to establish dominance in Manitoba early after drawing post position three. However, he faces a tough field of six other pacers with plans of their own. The two horses drawn inside of him—Acquired Taste and Van Goghing Fast—are no strangers to the winner’s circle. Acquired Taste won last week in 2:00.2 and has claimed victory in three of her five starts this year, never finishing worse than second. In Van Goghing Fast’s five starts in 2025, he’s posted one win, two seconds, and two third-place finishes. To make things even tougher for Chief Is Boss, last week’s Futurity #33 winner and current track record holder for three-year-old pacers, Major Threat, is coming from the outside. Major Threat posted a solid 1:59.2 last week in the stake race and enters Saturday with back-to-back wins. This race is stacked and I’m seriously tempted to smash the “ALL” button for the Pick 3!

Program

Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/@theloopatredriverex?si=3qzdeLsfwKLgnT5s

Driver Wins

Trainer Wins

Race 1

Chocolate Bomb (1)

Stefs Inheritance (4)

April Shadow (3)

Race 2

Austins Bud (1)

Pictureperfecttime (3)

Made Marvelously (7)

Race 3

Major Threat (5)

Chief Is Boss (3)

Van Goghing Fast (2)

Race 4

Wednttalkboutbruno (2)

Have One On Me (1)

Pretty Frisky (5)

Pick 3 (Races 2-4)

1/ALL/1,2

Race 5

My Little Chloe (2)

Tuff Is Buff (4)

Subzero (1)

Race 6

Lookinlikeamillion (1)

Tami Blue (4)

Controlthedistance (5)

Race 7

Hurry Home (3)

Ginger Tree Finny (4)

Nonversation (2)

Race 8

Reys A Lil Trouble (3)

Be A Beth (2)

Justcruiseonbye (1)

Pick 4 (Race 5-8)

1,2,4/1/3,4/1,2,3

Post time is 2:00 p.m. Eastern