Friday's Best Bet: Dendera knocks out opponents in Soviet Problem
Friday’s 8th race from Los Alamitos Race Course is the $100,000 Soviet Problem Stakes for California-bred two-year-old fillies traveling one mile on the main track (Post Time 6:58 p.m. ET).
No. 2 DENDERA (4-1) struck twice at this distance under Friday’s rider Flavien Prat, but those two races were on turf. She split a 10-horse field in her dirt sprint debut, and showed marked improvement when stretched out on turf after that. She might be able to improve again on dirt and could offer a hint of value.
No. 4 Professors’ Pride (5-1) stalked and scored in her dirt sprint bow at Del Mar, and the top two finishers were miles clear of the rest. She has enough pedigree to go this far and will probably end up chasing the pace.
No. 9 Big Novel (3-1) fired in all four dirt sprints and the versatile filly owns competitive speed ratings. She will probably stalk the pace from the outside post and is a logical win contender if she handles two turns.
No. 7 Rose Maddox (9-2) rallied for the win in her all-weather sprint debut at Golden Gate, and she stretched out and missed by a neck in a clear runner-up finish at one mile on turf Oct. 22. Umberto Rispoli knows her now and she should get pace to chase. She can rally for a share at a speed friendly distance.
No. 3 Girl Ranger (8-1) stalked and smartly earned her diploma at 35-1 odds in her maiden claiming bow at Del Mar Nov. 7. Michael McCarthy is her trainer now and he has strong stats with his first route starters.
Wagers:
No. 2 to Win
Exacta 2-4/2-4-9
Trifecta 2-3-4-9/2-3-4-9/7
Recent Best Bet Winners
Dec. 2 - MUSED ($6.80), Exacta ($61.80)
Dec. 7 - WITTY ($6.60)