Saturday’s Picks from Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park

We had plenty of rain overnight in New York which likely will leave the track sloppy at Aqueduct on Saturday which features four stakes.

We have a couple of short fields and chalks that look tough, starting with just five going in the $150,000 Remsen (G2) which is a Road to the Kentucky Derby points race. It is a small field but at least it looks competitive.

The Go For Wand Handicap (G3) drew six and the 4-5 morning line favorite Nonna Madeline sure looks tough. She was third in the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (G3) at 1 1/8 miles in her last start and cuts back to a mile.

Malathaat is the 4-5 morning line favorite for the $150,000 Demoiselle (G2) and she faces seven foes that look overmatched. The Todd Pletcher trainee won the Tempted by 7 ¾ lengths in her last outing.

The nightcap is the $250,000 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1) which is the best betting race among the stakes. A field of nine entered but the connections of Firenze Fire and Mind Control said they may scratch if the track comes up wet.

Performer is the 7-5 morning line favorite and is making his first start in Grade 1 company. As you can see below I an going to look for a price with Snapper Sinclair who is 20-1 on the morning line. If the two do scratch I think the price is going to shrink but this five-year-old is still going to offer some value.

It is Claiming Crown Day at Gulfstream Park which always draws full and competitive fields each year. This year is no exception and I included five of the stakes in today’s Best Plays Report.

You can stream the action from Aqueduct today on YouTube or by using the TVG App. The horse betting company based in the U.S. is offering a 50% deposit match up to $250 .

My Best Plays Report for Saturday includes my 10 strongest plays from Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park.

To purchase my Aqueduct Report for Saturday click here .

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package. It gives you a month of Aqueduct Reports daily and my Best Plays Report each Saturday and Sunday.

Here is the opener from Aqueduct to get the day off to a good start:

AQUEDUCT RACE 1 ANALYSIS (11:30 A.M. ET)

Race 1 Md Sp Wt

  • #8 Cost Average 6-1
  • #5 Officiating 9-2
  • #7 Weyburn 8-5
  • #6 King of Dreams 5-2

Analysis: Cost Average tracked the early pace and tired to finish a well beaten sixth in his debut and he was dead on the board considering the connections, sent off at 17-1 in a field of nine. Three have come out of that race to win next out including the winner Highly Motivated who won the Nyquist at Keeneland on Nov. 6. The $200,000 Ocala purchase adds blinker to the mix here for Pletcher who is 23% winners with second out maidens. He has a solid off track pedigree, by Speightster out of a Smoke Glacken mare that has dropped two other foals to race, no winners to date. Good works since his debut and this guy may still be a decent price here.

Officiating was beaten by double digit lengths in his first two career starts. Last out on the stretch out he caught a sloppy track she he stalked the early pace and finished up well in a runner up finish, no match for an eight length winner. He cuts back to seven furlongs and has a strong off track pedigree, The Mott trainee is a half to a pair of stakes winners, top earner Caledonia Road ($1.3 million) who broke her maiden in her debut in the slop.

AQUEDUCT RACE 10 ANALYSIS (4:13 P.M. ET)

Race 10 The Cigar Mile Hcp G1

  • #3 Snapper Sinclair 20-1
  • #1 Performer 7-5
  • #5 Mr. Buff 6-1
  • #7 King Guillermo 9-2

Analysis: Snapper Sinclair gets the call here at what should be a decent price. The prospects of a wet track mean that the connections of Mind Control and Firenze Fire have indicated they will likely scratch. Our top pick is going turf to dirt after this guy ran third last out at Churchill Downs on good turf against $150,000 optional claimers (non-winners of four other than or a race in 2020). He tracked the early pace and finished evenly. The top two in that race are Grade 2 winners on turf. Two back on turf in the Tourist he earned a career top Beyer in a runner up finish at Kentucky Downs. He is bred to handle a wet track and earlier this year ran a solid second in the Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park in the slop. The barn is 21% winners moving runners from turf to dirt.

Performer came back off the sidelines with a sharp win versus $80,000 optional claimers (non-winners of three other than) in the mud at Belmont Park going a mile. He won all four starts last year including the Discovery (G3) in his stakes debut. He got a late start this year with an ankle issue. He figures to be tighter second off the bench, but his price is going to be very much on the light side. He is bred top and bottom to handle a wet track and showed last out he can handle it.

Mr. Buff wired the field to win the state bred Empire Classic last out and looks back on track. He was really good earlier this year beating up on state breds and won the open Jazil. But then he was beaten double digit lengths in two starts in graded stakes company. Those fields came up much tougher than this one did if we do see a few scratches as expected. This guy loves the Big A main track, winning 8 of his 13 trips with three runner up finishes. He also is no slouch on wet tracks, landing in the exacta in 5 of 7 outings.

GULFSTREAM PARK RACE 9 ANALYSIS (4:09 P.M. ET)

Race 9 The Claiming Crown Tiara

  • #5 Queens Embrace 5-2
  • #7 Jabuticaba 5-1
  • #11 Sugar Fix 2-1
  • #3 Isadorable Aida 15-1

Analysis: Queens Embrace returns off a two-month break and makes her first start off the claim by the Gargan barn that took this gal for $80,000 out of a fifth-place finish against Alw-1 foes at Belmont Park. The trainer is 45% winners (with a +ROI) first off the claim. The filly has faced older just cone in her career, beating Alw-1 foes at Monmouth Park back in July. She was third in the Lake Placid (G2) back in July at the Spa. She gets a class drop and a jock upgrade to Saez.

Jabuticaba set the early fractions and tired to finish sixth last out in the Gallorette (G3) at Pimlico catching yielding ground. Her last win came three back at Colonial Downs where she beat Alw-2 optional claimers She is a six-time winner on turf who ran for just $16,000 last year. She makes her first start here for the Antonucci barn and picks up Irad. There is not a ton of early pace signed up to go here

LIVE LONGSHOTS

These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager. 

Aqueduct

  • R3: #8 Travelin Dani 15-1
  • R5: #3 Chilly Choos 8-1
  • R6: #2 Portal Creek 8-1
  • R6: #6 Graceful Princess 12-1
  • R7: #5 Jara 15-1
  • R8: #8 Pure Bode 10-1
  • R8: #9 Amos 8-1
  • R10: #3 Snapy Sinclair 20-1

Good luck today!

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