BetAmerica’s Best Bets of the Weekend for Oct. 24-25
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Photo by Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing
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, Oct. 24
EXACTA BOX
Belmont Park, Race 4, Iroquois Stakes, 2:01 p.m. ET
#9 La Verdad is in unconscious form this year, a perfect 5-for-5 with all wire-to-wire wins. Her speed figures tower over the competition in this race, and she sports a near perfect record at Belmont — seven wins and one second in eight starts. La Verdad’s connections opted not to run in next week’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships and instead stay in New York for this race. This is certainly her race to lose.
#8 Tricky Zippy: If La Verdad blinks or stumbles or something, then Tricky Zippy looks next best with jockey John Velazquez aboard. She’s been rested since a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes under Velazquez last month. The duo reeled off three easy wins in a row this summer against state-bred company, including Union Avenue Stakes at Saratoga.
BEST BET/WIN BET
Belmont Park, Race 11, Ticonderoga Stakes, 5:52 p.m. ET
#8 Swear By It: My best bet of the day is a longshot - I Swear By It. This 4-year-old filly has got top connections with trainer Chad Brown and jockey Javier Castellano. Coming off the layoff after a fourth-place finish in the Yaddo Stakes at Saratoga, this race sets up perfectly for her. She’s 2-for-2 at Belmont and has one win at the distance. Let’s cash at a price (12-to-1 on the morning line) in the finale!
Sunday, Oct. 25
EXACTA BOX
Belmont Park, Race 7, English Channel Stakes, 4:13 p.m. ET
#2 Vision Perfect is a perfect 2-for-2 at the one-mile distance and has two wins and two second-place finishes at Belmont. Jockey Manny Franco is back up for the mount, and we can expect to see the duo at or near the lead when they break out of the gate.
#8 March, a Chad Brown-trained colt, will be making his first turf start in this race and it just might pay off. After two sixth-places finishes at Saratoga, the colt took a two-month break and perhaps the turf is exactly what he needs to get back to his Grade 2 Woody Stephens and Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes-winning self. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. is once again up and incredibly hot this year – you can’t ignore him.
BEST BET/WIN BET
Santa Anita Park, Race 5, Senator Ken Maddy Stakes, 6 p.m. ET
# 8 Off The Road: Coming into this race of a 10-month layoff, Off The Road will be making her North American debut under the direction of veteran jockey Mike Smith. She has three wins and three seconds in seven lifetime starts in Brazil, with the last four coming in Grade 1s. This filly has been working nicely since arriving in California, and I’m rooting for a WIN!