Betting the Secretariat on a $20 Budget

Highland Reel, above winning a stakes race in Europe in 2014, figures to be a strong contender for the Secretariat Stakes for a trainer who has enjoyed success at Arlington Park. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
Arlington Park hosts the International Festival of Racing on Saturday, and one of the highlights of the afternoon is the $450,000, Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds. 
The 2015 Secretariat Stakes will certainly be an international event, as horses entered in the Secretariat ran their most recent races in Italy, Great Britain, and France in addition to the United States. 
The race appears to be competitive on paper, and the foreign invaders definitely add to the handicapping puzzle. 
Below are some of the main contenders in the Secretariat Stakes on Saturday:
#2 Force the Pass: He most recently won the $1.25-million, Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes in New York, so we already know he can successfully compete with some of the best horses in his division. He appears to be an improving horse, and should have a great chance to win on Saturday with improvement. His consistency should also be noted, as he has never finished worse than second in six career races.
#3 Goldstream: The good news is that this horse is unbeaten — and essentially unchallenged — in five career starts, include a victory in the Derby Italiano in his most recent start on May 17. The bad news is that all five of his wins have come in Italy, which means Goldstream has been racing against inferior competition when compared with the horses he will be facing in the Secretariat. It’s tough to determine how he stacks up against the Secretariat field, but my gut tells me Goldstream will finally taste defeat for the first time on Saturday. 
2015 DERBY ITALIANO

Video courtesy of Diez Furlongs
#6 Highland Reel: This colt comes from one of the premier racing operations in all the world, and his trainer Aidan O'Brien has had significant international success on this Arlington turf course of his career, including three victories in the Secretariat Stakes, all with European raiders such as Highland Reel. Highland Reel most recently won a Group 3 stakes race at Goodwood in Great Britain, which should set him up for a great performance on Saturday.
#7 War Dispatch: He has a stellar racing record. War Dispatch has never finished worse than third, including six victories, from nine career races. War Dispatch has done all of his racing in France, where he has successfully contested races on both turf and synthetic surfaces. In his most recent race, War Dispatch finished second in a Group 2 stakes at Maisons-Laffitte, and he will look to improve upon that effort at Arlington Park on Saturday.
Betting Strategy on a $20 Budget:
$8 exacta: 6 with 2
$8 exacta: 6 with 7
$4 exacta: 6 with 3 
$450,000 Secretariat StakesSaturday, Arlington Park, Race 8, 5:17 p.m. ET1 ¼ mile, turf, 3-year-olds

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owner

Odds

1

Closing Bell

Jose Lezcano

Bill Mott

WinStar Farm

10-1

2

Force the Pass

Joel Rosario

Alan Goldberg

Richard Santull

2-1

3

Goldstream

Brenton Avdulla

Andreas Wohler

Australian Bloodstock

9-2

4

Crittenden

William Buick

Eoin Harty

Godolphin Racing

12-1

5

Granny's Kitten

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Mike Maker

Ken and Sarah Ramsey

10-1

6

Highland Reel

Seamie Heffernan

Aidan O'Brien

Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier and Michael B. Tabor

5-2

7

War Dispatch

Ioritz Mendizabal

Jean-Claude Rouget

Joseph Allen

4-1