Betting the Mother Goose on a $20 Budget
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Description:
Danessa Deluxe could improve off her last race to snatch a win in the Grade 1 Mother Goose. (Photo by Eclipse Sporstwire)
The 59th edition of the Mother Goose Stakes will take place at Belmont Park on Saturday, and 10 3-year-old fillies are signed up to compete for a $300,000 purse. The Mother Goose is a very prestigious race, and its list of previous winners includes all-time greats such as Ruffian (1975) and Go for Wand (1990), as well as more recent champions Rachel Alexandra (2009) and Close Hatches (2013). Last year, Untapable won the Mother Goose en route to being voted champion 3-year-old filly of 2014.
Upon examination of the race’s past performances, the 2015 Mother Goose appears to be a very competitive contest. Below are the three horses that I prefer most in the Mother Goose:
#8 Danessa Deluxe: She most recently finished fourth in the Black Eyed Susan Stakes, which was her first race in nearly two months. Now that she has that race under her belt, I think she will be prepared for a top effort in the Mother Goose on Saturday. Her trainer, Jorge Navarro, has won 29% of his races so far in 2015, which is a very encouraging statistic as well.
#9 Eskenformoney: This filly has not competed in a race since she finished 10th in the Kentucky Oaks on May 1. However, the time off from racing may prove to be beneficial, as Eskenformoney had already contested four difficult races in Florida prior to her poor effort in the Kentucky Oaks. Most importantly, Eskenformoney has one of the best trainer/jockey teams in the country on her side. When trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Javier Castellano get together in a big race such as the Mother Goose, you must take notice.
ESKENFORMONEY
Photo by Coglianese Photo/Lauren King
#10 Wonder Gal: Out of all the horses in the Mother Goose, Wonder Gal has had by far the most success when racing against top competition (she has already finished in 2nd or 3rd in three other Grade I races). Most recently, Wonder Gal finished 3rd in the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park, which was her first race since April 4th. Wonder Gal should be more physically fit after that good run in the Acorn Stakes three weeks ago, and she will be ready to perform at her highest on Saturday.
Wagering Strategy:
$3 exacta box: 8, 9, 10 ($18)
$300,000 Mother Goose Stakes
Saturday, Belmont Park, Race 9, 5:28 p.m. ET
3-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles, dirt
PP
Horse
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
ML Odds
1
Embellish the Lace
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Tony Dutrow
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong
7-2
2
Include Betty
Drayden Van Dyke
Tom Proctor
Brereton Jones and Tim Thornton
5-1
3
Hot City Girl
Jose Ortiz
Linda Rice
Lady Sheila Stable
30-1
4
Munasara
John Velazquez
Kiaran McLaughlin
Shadwell Stable
10-1
5
Chide
Joel Rosario
Al Stall, Jr.
Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider
12-1
6
Pleasant Tales
Junior Alvarado
Dallas Stewart
Charles Fipke
15-1
7
Money'soncharlotte
Eric Cancel
Kelly Breen
George and Lori Hall
20-1
8
Danessa Deluxe
Manuel Franco
Jorge Navarro
Ivan Rodriguez
8-1
9
Eskenformoney
Javier Castellano
Todd Pletcher
StarLadies Racing
4-1
10
Wonder Gal
Rajiv Maragh
Leah Gyarmati
Treadway Racing Stable
3-1