Weekend Warrior for Saturday, Nov. 18: Picks for Artie Schiller Stakes, Cardinal Handicap, Desi Arnaz Stakes

A light stakes schedule Saturday has forced me to look for short-priced favorites that I’m willing to take a shot against. Some of the favorites appear legit, but there are interesting alternatives if you’re up for taking a swing against them.

Artie Schiller Stakes, Aqueduct

BLACKTYPE (5) looms as the horse to beat in the Artie Schiller, and I have no real knocks against him. His effort in the Knickerbocker at Belmont on Oct. 9 was solid, and if the turf comes up less than firm (which the forecast suggests), he’ll have no problem handling it. The tactical speed he brings should prove a major advantage Saturday, as there doesn’t appear to be much pace signed on. But I’ll take a small swing against him with Mike Maker’s runner TIZZARUNNER (11).

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Tizzarunner is the kind of horse that I generally despise. He’s a one-run closer, a bit light on speed figures, and is as unprofessional as it gets. On the flipside, it’s impossible not to acknowledge this gelding’s enormous turn of foot. In his most recent start, at Laurel, Tizzarunner ran his final nine-sixteenths in 50.63 seconds, and two back he ran his final half-mile in 44.30. He’s far from the likeliest of winners, but I’ll make a small win wager on him at odds of 6-1 or greater. I’ll also use him with Blacktype in exactas.

Cardinal, Churchill Downs

The connections for DONA BRUJA (12) have made it clear that if the turf is too soft, she won’t run in the Cardinal. If she runs, the races on her past performances speak for themselves. She was fantastic in her first two starts in North America, beaten a half-length as the favorite in the Beverly D. in her third start, and most recently was terribly pace compromised at Keeneland in the First Lady. While she’s clearly the horse they’ll all need to beat, a combination of a wet turf course with a tough post position and my thought that she’s best going shorter than this nine-furlong distance is enough for me to play against.

LOVELY LOYREE (1) has started only twice in 2017, but one of those resulted in a victory over yielding ground at Arlington on June 17. There doesn’t look to be a ton of early speed in the Cardinal, so Lovely Loyree should take up a forward position breaking from the rail. She may find the nine furlongs too much to handle against a field with this kind of quality, but it’s never a bad thing being forwardly placed on a turf course that may resemble a bog. Lovely Loyree gets a small win wager from me at odds of 9-1 or greater.

Desi Arnaz, Del Mar

DREAM TREE (6) broke her maiden at first asking for Bob Baffert at Santa Anita on Oct. 27, contesting a legitimate pace while hung very wide throughout. After putting away the other fillies that were forwardly placed, this daughter of Uncle Mo hung on in deep stretch to get the job done. The blinkers come off for start No. 2 and she breaks from the outside post. She should be viewed as the horse to beat.

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The filly I’m most interested in is the one that finished second in her debut to Dream Tree, MIDNIGHT BISOU (3). Midnight Bisou was in mid-pack before angling clear and finishing tenaciously down the lane. She galloped out like a monster and acts as if the seven-furlong distance in the Arnaz should be to her liking. I’m hopeful the exacta from the Oct. 27 maiden special weight race is reversed Saturday, with Midnight Bisou breaking through in a stakes. I don’t generally play horses at short prices, but anything north of 9-5 on Midnight Bisou will be worth consideration.