Friday's Best Bet: Acoustic Ave sounds off in Funny Cide
Friday’s seventh race from Saratoga is the $200,000 Funny Cide Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-olds dashing six and one-half furlongs on the main track. Post time is 4:29 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Saratoga entries and results.
No. 1 Acoustic Ave (5-2) cruised to a sharp win as the 3-2 favorite in a local six panel sprint July 29. Christophe Clement’s $200k purchase shows a pair of solid works since his debut and could easily run a bit faster and win again second time out.
No. 5 Andiamo a Firenze (4-5) went to the front from the inside post and won easily in his Belmont Park debut in the slop June 3. He battled on the pace from the outside and was best of the rest in an okay show finish in the Sanford (G3) July 16. He reconnects with his winning rider Irad Ortiz Jr. and should make his presence felt throughout.
No. 4 Donegal Surges (4-1) rolled home from off the pace in his local dirt sprint debut Aug. 11. Todd Pletcher’s $150k purchase needs pace help.
Get my expert Del Mar full card picks for Aug. 25 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 1 to win
Exacta 1-5
Trifecta Key 1/4-5
Recent Best Bet winners
Aug. 5 – Ready to Purrform ($9.80), trifecta ($469.00)
Aug. 6 – Nations Pride/Annapolis exacta ($29.20)
Aug. 7 – With the Moonlight ($4.30), exacta ($7.50)
Aug. 8 – Loyalty ($7.00), exacta ($23.80)
Aug. 10 – Running Bee ($6.70)
Aug. 12 – Bankit/Sea Foam/Brooklyn Strong trifecta ($378.00)
Aug. 14 – Slew's Tiz Whiz ($8.80)
Aug. 17 – Legends Can't Die/Mackillop/Mo Rewards trifecta ($480.48)
Saturday - Spenderella/Bellabel exacta ($16.20)
Monday - Carpenters Call ($4.40), exacta ($52.80)
Tuesday - Best Actor ($7.00), trifecta ($278.20)
Wednesday - Nimble Beast/Uncle Buddy/Tribal Notion trifecta ($45.00)