Santa Anita’s opening weekend of the autumn meet signals a significant round of Breeders’ Cup preps and the national schedule overflows with top-class races. What better time to hop aboard the stakes express? This Saturday’s whistle stops include the Great Race Place, the rebuilt Belmont Park, historic Churchill Downs. sunny Gulfstream and Mid-Atlantic neighbors Laurel and Delaware Park.
Players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet can benefit from a $10,000 Exacta-Thon promotion on Saturday for Santa Anita’s card.
All aboard! (Listed in post time order)
1:50 pm ET | Belmont | Race 4 | Gallant Bloom Stakes | Picks 6-2-5
While favorite #5 R Disaster looks loose on the lead, she’s had just 1 race since spring and no works since a bad effort at the Spa, so I’ll try #6 Beauty Reigns, who has trained with intent since the Ballerina.
2:23 pm ET | Laurel | Race 6 | All Along Stakes | Picks 8-5-1
When the best horse on paper also gets the proper pace set-up, they rarely give back such an edge as classy #8 Grayosh should deliver for Chad Brown.
3:22 pm ET | Laurel | Race 8 | Selima Stakes | Picks 5-4-9
Rallying debut sprint winner #5 Maybe Gold got a solid 83 BRIS late pace figure for a fast dash that could translate well with her pedigree as she makes the 2-turn stretchout.
3:26 pm ET | Delaware | Race 6 | Battery Park Stakes | Picks 4-5-2
Defending champ #4 Cooke Creek is 3-for-3 in DelPark raids for a Mike Maker barn that reads the national stakes condition books with about as much success as anyone in picking spots that fit his horses.
3:51 pm ET | Laurel | Race 9 | Laurel Futurity | Picks 5-2-6
#5 Broadcast likely an underlay price by Miguel Clement’s regally bred son of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Shared Account (who opened her career 2-for-2 at Laurel over this course) ran well enough in her debut with no pace help to like in this spot.
4:02 pm ET | Delaware | Race 7 | Rocky Run Stakes | Picks 4-1-8
Excited to see Further Ado’s half-brother by Justify – #4 Earth Song – an eye-popping Monmouth debut winner, stretch out here and just maybe become a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile sneaky play for Keeneland.
4:17 pm ET | Gulfstream Park | Race 8 | Hollywood Beach Stakes | Picks 5-7-6
#5 Road to Midnight was superb in his only turf try and draw a line through his last on dirt when hooking a multiple stakes-winning freak named Sum of Success.
4:26 pm ET | Churchill Downs | Race 8 | Bourbon Flight Stakes | Picks 6-1-5
Stronger-than-expected 102 BRIS late pace figures in back-to-back sprints for #6 Local Knowledge make him interesting here on the stretch-out after facing a superstar at the Spa.
4:34 pm ET | Delaware | Race 8 | White Clay Creek Stakes | Picks 1-3-9-4
Late-running maiden #1 Spectacular Sam could benefit from both blinkers on and the rail draw/saving ground after being her own worst enemy through 3 starts as Spinaway class droppers likely take a good deal of the money.
4:44 pm ET | Belmont | Race 9 | Vosburgh Stakes | Picks 8-3-7
Big field of 10 and no standouts left in the elder Sprint division makes for a great betting race in which #8 Contrary Thinking is the ‘now’ horse with speed who has found a home since cutting back distance.
4:58 pm ET | Churchill Downs | Race 9 | Ack Ack Stakes | Picks 2-3-8
#2 Arrowthegreat – who gets a great pace set-up to punch late – beat an absolute, stakes-caliber field in allowance company at Del Mar last time so don’t see this as the rise in class it may look on paper.
5:06 pm ET | Santa Anita | Race 3 | City of Hope Mile | Picks 4-2-6
#4 Detain was seriously hindered by a very slow second-quarter in the Del Mar Mile but still came with a heated run late and should blow by them Saturday with what looks to be more pace help.
5:19 pm ET | Belmont | Race 10 | Jose Hirsch Turf Classic | Picks 3-4-2
Love classy Euros picking up American-experienced jockeys (Flavien Prat rides here vs. 2 Chad Browns) and we saw #3 El Cordobes win domestically last summer in his ‘first off the plane’ effort.
5:29 pm ET | Churchill Downs | Race 10 | Lukas Classic | Picks 4-3-7
His record isn’t as strong at Churchill as other venues, but #4 Banishing opted here over the Jockey Club Gold Cup last week and his best is very, very good when he’s on and a few of these could struggle with the 9F trip.
5:45 pm ET | Delaware Park | Race 10 | Delaware Handicap | Picks 6-5-4
Dominant defending champ #4 Regaled isn’t forecasted to get her preferred wet track, opening the door for last year’s Delaware Oaks runner-up #6 Margie’s Intention to continue a strong history in this race for trainer Brad Cox.
5:54 pm ET | Belmont | Race 11 | Flower Bowl Stakes | Picks 4-8-11
With options shorter in distance upcoming at Keeneland, Chad Brown must love the 1-1/4 miles for #4 Kathynmarissa while she’s in career-best form and she faces a field where 9 of 11 exit defeats (several emphatically).
6:10 pm ET | Santa Anita | Race 5 | Eddie D Stakes | Picks 1-3-7
Don’t let the 1-for-9 record at this turf trip fool you – #1 Sumter has run 4 dynamite races in a row on the downhill turf at Santa Anita and offers an inflated price after a dull Del Mar try.
7:10 pm ET | Santa Anita | Race 7 | John Henry Turf Championship | Picks 1-7-8
#1 Mondego moved too soon in the Del Mar Handicap and gets a rider change while returning to the Santa Anita lawn where he won the Whittingham and San Marcos in his last 2 trips over this distance and course.
7:40 pm ET | Santa Anita | Race 8 | Goodwood Stakes | Picks 4-8-9
Defending champ #9 Nevada Beach comes off a February layoff and his workout videos aren’t overwhelming to me, so give me late-running #4 Original Sin (pictured) in a race with plenty of set-up speed and a confident Brendan Walsh who scratches from Churchill’s Lukas Classic to seek this Grade 1.
8:10 pm ET | Santa Anita | Race 9 | John C. Harris Stakes | Picks 10-3-4
They’ll have to catch #10 Little Opal off 2 sharp dash scores at Del Mar as the outside draw is advantageous down the hill.
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