Plenty of supercharged starter-allowance purses this Saturday, with Churchill hosting the Claiming Crown, but limited stakes options.
Jockey Club Oaks
Handicappers can get caught in the trap of using speed figures to define a horse rather than letting the figures establish a range of possibility. Take a late-season 3-year-old with limited starts and the figures, rather than setting a ceiling on performance, might suggest a horse who can climb much higher.
Aqueduct | Race 8 | Post Time 3:39 p.m. (ET)
The decision to switch the Key Cents to turf for this season has breathed new life into this New York-bred stakes, which has attracted a highly competitive group of nine fillies. George Weaver holds a strong hand, sending out one-third of the field. His three contenders are among the shortest prices on the morning line, but separating them is no easy task.
Since 1894, Daily Racing Form has been the most trusted source of horse racing news and information, making horseplayers better bettors by cashing more tickets. Here is a free daily playbook – something hardcore horseplayers and casual observers can reference to get informed of each day’s action. DRF Past Performances (PPs) can be accessed at DRF.com.
DRF handicappers share their plays for the day, including best bets, for racing at Aqueduct, Gulfstream, Del Mar, and Woodbine.
Aqueduct | Race 5 | Post Time 2:10 p.m. (ET)
This statebred maiden special weight is fairly open, lacking a clear standout. The lukewarm favorite could be Royal Riddle (#9), who has hit the board in both prior starts over seven furlongs. It's not that much of a leap to get a mile here, and he acts like a horse who should handle the distance. He stayed on well after being rated off the pace on debut, and then faced late when ridden more aggressively last time. I don’t think either race featured as deep a field as this one, and I wanted to look elsewhere.
Since 1894, Daily Racing Form has been the most trusted source of horse racing news and information, making horseplayers better bettors by cashing more tickets. Here is a free daily playbook – something hardcore horseplayers and casual observers can reference to get informed of each day’s action. DRF Past Performances (PPs) can be accessed at DRF.com.
DRF handicappers share their plays for the day, including best bets, for racing at Belmont at the Big A, Gulfstream, Del Mar, and Laurel.
Aqueduct | Race 10 | Post Time 4:09 p.m. (ET)
Beach Bomb (#3) is obviously the horse to beat in this Long Island, but I am getting a little concerned that she hasn't won a race since early in the season at Gulfstream. She's a horse who had previously utilized her early speed as an advantage, but last time she lacked the gate speed to get forward even as Javier Castellano hustled her early. She still ran on well while advancing outside without cover much of the way. If she repeats that effort, she's a win candidate, but I'm not keen to take too short a price.
Since 1894, Daily Racing Form has been the most trusted source of horse racing news and information, making horseplayers better bettors by cashing more tickets. Here is a free daily playbook – something hardcore horseplayers and casual observers can reference to get informed of each day’s action. DRF Past Performances (PPs) can be accessed at DRF.com.
Post Time: 12:40 ET
Track: Aqueduct (3rd Race)
Post Time: MEG’S FOXY GREY (#1, 4-1)
There’s no pause button on the racing calendar. The 2025 season purportedly crescendoed into the Breeders’ Cup, but here we are, back at it again a week later. No races to decide champions on this Saturday, but the win money pays the same.
Mother Goose
As George W. Bush once intoned, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me – you can’t get fooled again.” While the 43rd president of the United States of America could not quite get to “fool me twice,” the filly Ourdaydreaminggirl stands poised to fool the betting public a third time in the Mother Goose.
