Saturday’s late pick four at Aqueduct features two highly competitive stakes races in the Grade 3 Red Smith, for older turf routers, and the Grade 3 Discovery, for 3-year-olds going nine furlongs on the main track.  While both races feature logical favorites, the competition appears to run deep enough that Wake Forest ( Red Smith) and Gift Box (Discovery) can’t win just by showing up.  

Here are horses to consider while constructing exotic wagers on opening Saturday of the 2016 Bing Crosby meet at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

RACE 4 – LET IT RIDE STAKES

Here are horses to consider while constructing exotic wagers on opening Saturday of the 2016 Bing Crosby meet at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

RACE 4 – LET IT RIDE STAKES

Serious week, folks. Not only did we score out with our Pick last week, but BreezeFigs maidens continued their march through various condition books with 23 victories at eight tracks, many of them resulting in serious payoffs. Things got off to a good start with our Pick at Penn National when our key, True to the Moon, finished second to Spinelli, with Onaj coming in third and the one we suspected would be over bet, Toss the Tub, off the board.

The Breeders’ Cup is a week in the books, so here’s my postmortem on horses who had killer trips that prevented them from running to their potential.

This is not to say that these horses should have won their Breeders’ Cup races, only that they were compromised. So take that into consideration if they return in appropriate spots.

Yes, one week does make a lot of difference. Last Saturday was the second and biggest day of the Breeders’ Cup. This Saturday’s stakes schedule is topped by three Grade 3 events – the $200,000 Red Smith Handicap and $150,000 Discovery at Aqueduct, and the $100,000 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs.

Commonwealth Turf Stakes

CONQUEST COBRA
Trainer: Vladimir Cerin
Last race: Nov. 3, 6th
Finish: 2^nd by 1 1/4
Beyer: 101
This gelding ran super in a stakes route. He was pressured through a fast pace, shook off early foes, and was tagged by a closer. He is a potential contender Nov. 27 at Del Mar in the Grade 3 Native Diver.

Nov. 4

Santa Anita

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (race 6)

UNSEEN ANGELS
Trainer: Norm McKnight
Last race: Nov. 4, 5th
Finish: 3rd by 1/2
Beyer: 79
She was steadied in traffic exiting the turn before making up ground from fourth to just miss second in a $40,000 conditioned claimer, after which she galloped out strongly.

A $500,000-guaranteed pool for the opening pick five on Breeders’ Cup Saturday wakes up bettors. So here is a look at the sequence and my Ticketmaker Play

Race 1

Up first is the Juvenile Turf Sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs down the hill. I prefer a couple late-running horses cutting back in distance:  Harbour Master (4) and Kitten’s Cat (10) – both “A” plays in Ticketmaker. Although their lack of speed is a disadvantage, they simply look classier than the rest.