Making Money Betting Beholder in the Zenyatta

Beholder will be a heavy favorite in Saturday's Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Santa Anita Park hosts a top-notch afternoon of horse racing on Saturday, and one of the premier races on the day will be the $300,000 Grade I Zenyatta Stakes. The Zenyatta Stakes is a “Win and You’re In” race for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, meaning that the winner of the Zenyatta will earn a spot in next month’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland. 
There is no question that the star of this year’s Zenyatta Stakes is Beholder. Not only is Beholder the two-time defending champion of the Zenyatta, but she is also coming off the most impressive victory of her career after dominating her male competition in the Grade I Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22. With a solid performance on Saturday, there is a good chance that Beholder will challenge the likes of American Pharoah and Honor Code in the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Oct. 31. 
While Beholder (#9) is the star of the Zenyatta Stakes, she will also be a heavy favorite in the wagering. In order for us to make a little money on the race, it will be necessary to find a couple horses to bet “underneath” (in second and third place) Beholder. Below are a few horses that I will be looking at to use underneath Beholder on Saturday:
#5 Kyriaki: The majority of this filly’s racing experience has come on the turf course, yet she has won two consecutive races on the dirt so it can be argued that the main track is her preferred surface. Kyriaki will definitely be facing the toughest competition of her career in the Zenyatta Stakes, but her most recent victory on Aug. 23 may be good enough for a second- or third-place finish on Saturday.
#6 My Sweet Addicition: She is the winner of the Grade I Vanity Handicap at Santa Anita in May, so she has shown the ability in the past to win on the big stage. However, My Sweet Addiction’s two most recent races (June 13 and Aug. 1) were not up to her best standards, and those efforts certainly need to be questioned prior to the Zenyatta. Perhaps the combination of Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and her affinity for Santa Anita (only worse than third place on one occasion out of eight lifetime races at Santa Anita) will propel My Sweet Addiction to a rebound effort on Saturday.
MY SWEET ADDICTION

#8 Warren’s Veneda: Similar to My Sweet Addiction, Warren’s Veneda is also a Grade I winner as she has a victory in the Grade I Santa Margarita Handicap at Santa Anita in March on her résumé. Since that win in the Santa Margarita, Warren’s Veneda has finished behind either My Sweet Addiction or Beholder in three of her four summertime races, so she will be facing off against similar competition on Saturday. Warren’s Veneda has done well at Santa Anita in the past (four wins in nine races there), and I expect her to run well again on Saturday.
Betting Strategy A:$20 exacta 9/8 = $20
Betting Strategy B: $5 trifecta 9/8/5,6 = $10$5 trifecta 9/5,6/8 = $10
 
$300,000 Zenyatta Stakes
Saturday, Santa Anita Park, Race 7, 6:30 p.m. ET
1 1/16 miles, dirt, fillies and mares, 3 years old and older 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owners

Odds

1

Oscar Party

James Graham

James Cassidy

DP Racing

TBD

2

Savings Account

Drayden Van Dyke

Tom Proctor

Heider Family Stables LLC & Bernick

TBD

3

My Monet

Santiago Gonzalez

Ricky Agarie

KM Racing Enterprise Inc.

TBD

4

Big Book

Kent Desormeaux

Tim Yakteen

George Krikorian

TBD

5

Kyriaki

Mario Gutierrez

Peter Eurton

Ciaglia Racing or Savides

TBD

6

My Sweet Addiction

Mike Smith

Martin Jones

Pamela C. Ziebarth

TBD

7

Wild in the Saddle

Rafael Bejarano

Richard Baltas

Anderson & Ortiz

TBD

8

Warren's Veneda

Tyler Baze

Craig Lewis

Benjamin C. Warren

TBD

9

Beholder

Gary Stevens

Richard Mandella

Spendthrift Farm

TBD