Saturday’s Turf Play
A good betting race on Saturday can be found in the $75K Ellis Park Turf Stakes at, well, Ellis Park. The twelve horse field should offer good value in the exotic pools, if not the win pool.An obvious choice is #1 C.S. SILK at 4-1 on the morning line. From a class perspective, she is a standout and looks to be in good form.
I also like three-year old #5 MADDIES ODYSSEY (5-1). Sired by the Ramseys’ KITTEN’S JOY, turf looks to be her preferred surface as she’s won five races in 13 tries, and has won her last 4 all on turf. She was claimed for $25,000 in the spring and hasn’t faced the same level of competition as C.S. SILK, but looks to be game.
Another contender is #7 SEA GULL (6-1). Last several races were solid though I’m wondering if 1 and 1/8 miles might be her preferred distance. One concern is that her sire MINESHAFT never excelled on the turf, but she has 2 wins, 5 seconds, and a third in 10 turf starts. She’ll be on all of my tickets.
Lastly, I like #10 HAPPINESS IS (8-1). She lost by a nose at an incredible 48-1 odds to DANZON in a G3 at Churchill Downs on 3 July. If she runs back to that race, she’s got another shot at winning.
So here’s the standouts as I see them: 1, 5, 7, 10. The winner? Hmm, tough call, but I’ll go with #7 SEA GULL and jockey Jamie Theriot.
Good luck!
