Weekly Wagering: Best Stakes Races to Bet on Now

Another busy week of horse racing events is set for this weekend, with Santa Anita hosting one of its biggest race days of the year so far. Three huge graded races will be staged on Saturday, which includes the G1 Beholder Mile.

There will also be key Kentucky Derby prep action with the G3 Tampa Bay Derby being staged. You can find our horse racing predictions for the best stakes races to bet on this week here.

Beholder Mile

The G1 Beholder Mile is the standout race on the schedule at Santa Anita this weekend, with fillies and mares aged three and older set to compete for their share of the $500,000 purse. A Mo Reay upset the odds last year to land victory for the team of Brad Cox and Flavien Prat.

A number of interesting horses are likely to rank among the leading contenders for one of the top-stakes races to bet on this week. Desert Dawn was very impressive when landing the G3 La Canada Stakes on her previous start, while the Bob Baffert yard could be presented by Adare Manor, who is in line to make her return to the track after finishing seventh in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

However, Green Up could be a challenging horse to overlook this weekend when making a bet on horse racing. The five-year-old for Todd Pletcher set a mighty speed rating of 109 on her previous start when landing the Pumpkin Pie Stakes, and the step up to a mile poses no real concerns this weekend.

Santa Ysabel Stakes

One of the key horse races 2024 on the schedule this weekend is the Santa Ysabel Stakes at Santa Anita. Qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks are on offer in California, with each of the last three editions of the race being won by a runner for trainer Bob Baffert.

Grand Slam Smile is one of few proven runners at the stakes level involved this weekend, with the Steven Specht-trained horse having landed the California Cup Oaks on her previous start. Kinza is a likely runner from the Bob Baffert yard, and she looked very excited when landing the G3 Las Virgenes on her previous outing.

However, this weekend’s race could be set for a newcomer to come out of the woodwork. Therefore, a chance could be taken on Nay V Belle for trainer Mark Glatt. This three-year-old was a very impressive winner on her first outing at Santa Anita, scoring a speed rating of 101 when winning over 6 ½ furlongs. There could be more to come from this unexposed contender.

Pick: Nay V Belle

Tampa Bay Derby

The key prep action with the Kentucky Derby in mind this weekend will be staged at Tampa Bay Downs, with the Tampa Bay Derby ranking among the best stakes races to bet on this week. Street Sense was the first winner of both races after landing victories in 2007.

The field will compete over 1 1/16 miles this weekend, and there will be a number of runners hoping for a positive response. Among those include Domestic Product for trainer Chad Brown, who was last seen finishing second in the G3 Holy Bull. Drip also could have solid claims after hitting a speed rating of 106 when making a winning debut at Fair Grounds.

However, the safest play could be No More Time for trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo. The three-year-old is already on the board after winning the G2 Sam F. Davis Stakes over course and distance last month, and there could be even more improvement to come on this second start over the extended distance.

Pick: No More Time

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