Friday, November 27

Aqueduct - Go for Wand Handicap (race 8)

COMMENT: Taris was going longer than seven furlongs for just the second time, and she relished the one-turn mile here and got her second Grade 3 win of the year. Taris was coming off a troubled third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and & Mare Sprint and had a new rider in Joel Rosario, when Gary Stevens took off due to illness. She dogged early pacesetter Spelling Again, moved up to challenge that foe into the lane, grabbed the lead, and won comfortably.

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DRF Bets GamePlan

Trainer Chad Stewart saddles Bonita (#8, ML 12-1) in Saturday's 10th race at Gulfstream Park West, the one-mile Hut Hut Stakes.  Since Jan., 1, 2014, Stewart is winning at a 30 percent clip when saddling a horse coming off a win, for a return on investment of $5.13.

The late pick four at Aqueduct, which features the Grade 1 Cigar Mile and the Grade 3 Comely, was greatly affected by key scratches in race 8 but is still worth a shot.

RACE 7
WONDER GAL benefited from a favorable trip and setup in her win against statebreds last time, but her positional speed should again mean she's in a good spot, close up behind a controlled pace. FAST RETAILING is a longshot with some upside. CARRUMBA could be long gone on the lead.
A: 3, 7
B: 4
C: NONE

The second Stars of Tomorrow day of the fall meet goes Saturday – an all-2-year-old card that offers deep fields and an added wrinkle of the likelihood of an off track with rain in the forecast. I’m most intrigued by a pick three over the second half of the day, one focusing on DOTHRAKI QUEEN in the Golden Rod and then spreading a few horses deep in the two legs of the wager that surround it

The early double on closing-day Sunday at Del Mar features a couple of horses I’m very intrigued by. I’ll play the early double as well as the juvenile stakes race in the middle of the card, the Cecil B. DeMille.

Early double

I’ll try to hit the last pick four on the Churchill card today on a fairly budget-conscious ticket, and to do so, I’ve taken a stand in the Clark Handicap, where I’m all in on Todd Pletcher. Here’s a look race by race.

Trainer Tom Drury Jr. saddles Glad Cat (#1, ML 10-1) in Friday's second race at Churchill Downs, a one-mile claiming race. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Drury is winning at a 41 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from sprint to route, for a return on investment of $5.01. 

Sorry ‘bout dat: While we did recommend you key on Danebury and Just Afleet in last week’s Pick, we did not give much credence to New York Song, and yet he won, beating out Danebury in a $136 BreezeFigs exacta—with Just Afleet completing a two-thirds BreezeFigs $12,653 superfecta.

A speed horse, another dropping in class and another who may be peaking add up to an early pick-three play (races 2-4) on the Friday card at Del Mar.

:: See Michael Hammersly’s pick three play in DRF TicketMaker and bet it with DRF Bets