BetAmerica’s Best Bets of the Weekend for Aug. 22-23
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Arlington Park photo by Eclipse Sportswire
America’s Best Racing and BetAmerica team up to provide horseplayers with their best bets of the weekend in a regular feature blog that will run on Fridays.
Each week, one of our crack handicappers - Jose Contreras, Dan Tordjman, Victoria Garofalo, Mike Johnson or Vince Mathews – will provide at least one “Best Bet” of the weekend, ideal for a win bet. The post also will include some combination of additional bets for the weekend.
For some posts, our handicappers will try to identify a longshot play of the weekend, a nice opportunity to swing for the fences on a win bet or to take a shot with a show bet.
Our handicappers also will look for strong exacta plays for the weekend or occasionally try to spot a nice opportunity for other wagers.
Place your bets at BetAmerica, which prides itself on outstanding customer service combined with the safety and security of wagering with a reputable advance-deposit wagering platform. Place your bets and you can walk away with some extra cash in your pocket.
Saturday, Aug. 22
BEST BET/WIN BET
Saratoga Race Course, Race 10, $600,000 Alabama Stakes, 6:07 p.m. ET
#6 Include Betty: It’s always fun to tip 8-to-1 shots as best bets, but I feel pretty confident in Include Betty. This deep closer has the look of one that can run all day. She should relish the stretch out to 1 1/4 miles as well as what figures to be an honest pace up front. She was squeezed early in her last race, yet still closed a lot of ground late on two returning foes here in the Alabama: I'm a Chatterbox and Curalina.
EXACTA BOX
Del Mar, Race 9, $1,000,000 TVG Pacific Classic Stakes, 9:10 p.m. ET
#5 Red Vine: This horse gets a major class test here but all signs are pointing in the right direction. He’s been an absolute beast on the dirt thus far this year and trainer Christophe Clement shows a lot of confidence shipping him out west with jockey Joel Rosario.
#8 Hoppertunity: He’s a hard-trying horse who always seems to be a little short. The added distance of the Pacific Classic should help him as much as anyone. The hotter the pace up front, the higher the likelihood Hoppertunity runs into the exacta.
#9 Beholder: There isn’t much history of fillies or mares doing well in this race, but of those who have tried it, I would rate Beholder a lot higher than the rest. I’d also rate the quality of this year’s field a notch below what we’ve seen in years past. If Beholder can sit just off the pace that will likely be set by Bayern and Midnight Storm, I can’t see her not being a part of this exacta.
Sunday, Aug. 23
BEST BET/WIN BET
Saratoga Race Course, Race 1, $40,000 Optional Claiming, 1 p.m. ET
#2 Perfect Freud: This filly gets back to the dirt after a failed try against state-bred stakes company on the turf on Aug. 13. Connections wheel her back rather quickly, but she has all the looks of a horse who will enjoy this 1 1/8-mile distance. She also seems to fit at this level and will get a bit of a weight break with a steady apprentice up in Eric Cancel.
EXACTA BOX
Saratoga Race Course, Race 9, $85,000 Allowance, 5:29 p.m. ET
#1 Great Dancer: This longshot deserves a long look in his third start since shipping over from Ireland. He showed marked improvement rallying to within a few lengths of the winner last out and figures to improve going longer here, with a lot of speed in the race.
#3 Cuppa Joe: He ran a huge race on the turf at Saratoga on opening weekend, and the third-place finisher came back to win. He hasn’t done much wrong since they stretched him to two turns on the lawn in the spring.
#6 Elmutahid: He’s been forwardly placed in recent tries and figures to be sitting just off of the speed of Macagone and Made in Detroit. Jose Ortiz rides for the first time and the horse ran well in his only other try on this course, albeit a few years ago.