Friday’s Best Bet: Red Run can lope along in Temperence Hill
Friday’s ninth race at Oaklawn is the $200,000 Temperence Hill Stakes for 4-year-olds and up traveling 1 1/2 miles on the main track. The scheduled post time is 5:55 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Oaklawn entries and results.
No. 13 Red Run (4-1) is out of the graded ranks and back on dirt for Mike Maker. He missed by a neck in the Isaac Murphy at this distance on dirt at Churchill in May and was a solid third in the Grade 2 Brooklyn at 1 1/2 miles. He probably will stalk the pace from the outside post.
No. 7 Speed Bias (7-2) likes to be part of the pace and might be the target in this dirt marathon. He was not able to get into an early-pressing rhythm in the Razorback (G3) last time, and he ended up stalking wide and finishing up the track in a better-than-appears effort. Flavien Prat is his new pilot, and he should make his presence felt throughout.
No. 10 Commandperformance (20-1) was one of my top-ranked Derby contenders back in the day. The gelded son of Union Rags is a decent allowance performer in dirt routes, and he seems to possess a fair amount of stamina. He can get involved from off the pace at a big number.
No. 12 Classic Causeway (4-1) won the Sam F. Davis (G3), Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and Belmont Derby (G1) in 2022. He lost his last 10 starts in the graded ranks, and this is his first start since August 2023. He should be forwardly placed.
Get Jarrod’s Santa Anita analysis.
Wagers
No. 13 to win
Exacta 7-13/7-10-13
Trifecta 7-12-13/all/10
Recent Best Bet winners
March 1 – Princess of Me ($5.80), exacta ($11.80)
March 3 – Du Jour/Easter exacta ($28.20)
March 6 – Spikezone/Just Beat the Odds exacta ($7.80), trifecta ($22.40)
March 7 – Insensitive ($5.00)
March 9 – Sweet Azteca/Adare Manor/Green Up trifecta ($94.60)
March 10 – Medoro/Zona Verde exacta ($15.20), trifecta ($33.60)
March 15 – Abhita ($6.40), exacta ($27.60)
March 17 – Sharp Aza Tack ($5.20)
March 18 – Kiss and Tell/Lady Zephyr exacta ($40.40)
March 19 – Lake Bee/Power Slam exacta ($15.60), trifecta ($32.40)
Last Thursday – Olympic Dreams/Tabeguache exacta ($25.60)
Tuesday – Pistol Liz Ablazen ($8.60)