BetAmerica’s Best Bets of the Weekend for Dec. 19
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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, Dec. 19
EXACTA BOX
Aqueduct, Race 4, 1:50 p.m. ET
#1 Karate: This son of Curlin will make his career debut on Saturday. Apprentice jockey Harry Hernandez has been riding well so far at Aqueduct, and he should be in good position throughout the race.
#2 Black Doblin: This colt showed a lot of early speed in the first race of his career on Nov. 21, but retreated towards the rear of the field about halfway through the race. Perhaps the extra experience and endurance he obtained in that initial race will propel him to a better effort on Sunday.
#8 Biography: This son of Speightstown appears to have been training well in the morning recently. Biography cost $295,000 at auction earlier this year.
EXACTA BOX
Gulfstream Park, Race 6, 2:35 p.m. ET
#5 Regal Kitten: After a poor performance in his career debut at Saratoga, this colt ran well to finish third in a competitive maiden race at Keeneland in the fall. I look for him to be making a big move in the stretch on Saturday.
#8 Adumato: This will be the first grass race of his career, and trainer Graham Motion is certainly no stranger to success on the turf course. Look for jockey Joel Rosario to have him close to the early pace in this race.
#11 Little Scotty: In his most recent race, Little Scotty put in a great performance to finish second to Swagger Jagger, who returned to win the $75,000 Pulpit Stakes after defeating Little Scotty. With added improvement, Little Scotty may be the one to beat on Saturday.
BEST BET/ WIN BET
Gulfstream Park, Race 7, 3:05 p.m. ET
#1 El Botas: This race looks very competitive on paper, as many different horses appear to have a fighting chance to come out a winner. El Botas competed in a number of races over the turf course this summer, yet four of his five career wins have come on the main track. Most recently, El Botas was not beaten by much in the $110,000 Claiming Crown Canterbury Stakes, and now that he will continue to race on the main track, I think El Botas has a great chance to return to the winner’s circle on Saturday.
BEST BET/WIN
Aqueduct, Race 9, 4:20 p.m. ET
#6 D’bunnyphone: This maiden filly has already competed in six career races, with hardly any success. However, all of those races were against tougher competition than what she will be facing in this race. Most recently, D’bunnyphone stumbled badly at the break, and this filly has had more trouble in some of her other past races. If things break right, talented jockey Manny Franco can bring D’bunnyphone home a winner on Sunday.