Five stakes races Saturday at Laurel Park make for an outstanding slate of racing dubbed Pot O’ Gold Day. Among those top-shelf events is the $100,000 Private Terms Stakes, Maryland’s first two-turn prep race this year en route to a potential Preakness Stakes berth in the Triple Crown series.
Handicappers following stakes races at Laurel Park over the past year have witnessed the following trends:
Stakes favorites: 44.9% wins, 65.3% top 3
Average $2 winning stakes payout: $12.14 ($6.82 so far in 2022)
Top stakes jockeys: Victor Carrasco (9-29, 31%), Jevian Toledo (7-34, 21%)
Top stakes trainers: Rodney Jenkins (4-9, 44%), John Salzman Jr. (4-13, 31%), Brittany Russell (4-15, 27%)
What to Watch for This Week
Santa Anita will have a mandatory payout in its Rainbow 6 jackpot wager Saturday, with an estimated pool of more than $4 million. The 20-cent minimum bet could have more than $400,000 in carryover money, giving players the advantage of chasing dead money … Gulfstream Park has a trio of stakes races Saturday featuring sprinters … The fate of trainer Bob Baffert’s Triple Crown hopefuls for 2022 could be determined by this weekend, following Thursday’s date in the Kentucky courts. Baffert, in this particular case, seeks a stay of a 90-day suspension handed down by the Kentucky Racing Commission for Medina’s Spirit’s 2021 Kentucky Derby medication violation. He also has a two-year house suspension from Churchill Downs to sort out in separate, but connected, affairs.
Friday Weekend Firestarter
Let’s get the gambling weekend off to a fast start Friday. In Santa Anita’s Race 9, No. 5 Doitforandrew makes his second start since arriving from Ireland and should appreciate the shorter distance and drop in class. He had a troubled start in his U.S. debut and spent most of the race in make-up mode. Look for him to rally late under Umberto Rispoli while going a quarter-mile shorter than his last attempt.
Play: Win bet on No, 5 Doitforandrew. Exacta box with No. 1 Smuggler’s Run.
1/ST BET App Top Handicapping Tracks of the Week
The free 1/ST BET app allows you to apply millions of data points across dozens of handicapping factors in mere seconds and immediately place your wagers. Here’s where the artificial intelligence was most dialed-in last week by win percentage:
— Sunland Park: 47%
— Penn National: 42%
— Turfway Park: 41%
— Laurel Park: 39%
— Sam Houston: 39%
Tracks with most reliable favorites last week (by win pct.)
— Penn National: 50%
— Fonner Park: 46%
— Turfway Park: 44%
— Golden Gate Fields: 44%
— Tampa Bay Downs: 44%
Tracks that were long-shot havens last week (most winners 10-1 or more)
— Gulfstream Park: 11
— Charles Town: 8
— Oaklawn Park: 7
— Parx: 5
— Turf Paradise: 5
America’s hot jockeys last week
— Tyler Connor (6-12, 50%), Penn National
— James Graham (10-22, 45%), Fair Grounds
— Gerardo Corrales (7-17, 42%), Turfway Park
— Ruben Silvera (9-23, 39%), Parx, Laurel
— Stewart Elliott (9-26, 35%), Sam Houston
America’s hot trainers last week
— Juan Arriagada (4-5, 80%), Tampa Bay Downs
— Penny Rone (4-5, 80%), Mahoning Valley
— Jose Francisco D’Angelo (4-7, 57%), Gulfstream
— Chad Brown (4-8, 50%), Gulfstream, Tampa Bay Downs
— Jamie Ness (7-19, 37%), Parx
March Means Money
1/ST BET and Xpressbet are giving away $20,000 during a month-long March sweepstakes. To participate, simply make wagers on either platform and earn entries into random drawings for each bet you make. Prizes will be drawn and announced at the end of the month.
Statistics courtesy of Betmix
