Saturday's Best Bet: B Dawk spurts clear in Sir Barton
Saturday’s 11th race from Pimlico is the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes for three-year-olds traveling a mile and a sixteenth on the main track (Post Time 4:53 p.m. EDT).
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No. 5 B DAWK (5-2) finally put it all together in his romping seven panel special weight victory at Keeneland April 24. He was highly regraded in California but never lived up to his potential there. They paid $425k for this one and he has some route influences in his pedigree. He might be the main speed and if not, he will probably press, pounce, and get first run. Either way, he must be respected off his last.
No. 6 Mr Jefferson (6-1) has plenty of stakes experience in a race with many unknowns from a class standpoint. His overall form is a bit darkened as well. He raced twice on turf and twice on a wet track. If you look past those below par efforts, what you see is a competent performer on a fast track with two wins and a runner-up finish from four starts. It was nice to see him rally outside and just miss at 15-1 odds in the Tesio Stakes April 16, and it is not as if the pace was fast that day. He earned a strong late pace rating last time and fits nicely with this group.
No. 8 Unikee (4-1) has decent sprint form and Irad Ortiz Jr. stays aboard for profitable first route trainer Terry Pompay. He looked good stalking and graduating in the Gulfstream Park mud at six furlongs March 12, and battled through moderate splits and missed by a head in an extended sprint on fast ground April 23. He seems to settle and that should help him get two turns.
No. 1 Ethereal Road (3-1) will always be remembered as the scratched horse from the Kentucky Derby, and that move by Wayne Lukas allowed also-eligible Rich Strike to get in and produce one of the biggest upsets in the history of that race. This non-graded event is meant as a prep for the Belmont Stakes. He drilled a five panel bullet for this May 11 and his new rider Luis Saez will probably want to sit back and make a late run.
No. 4 The Addison Pour (15-1) ran well in all four starts and his speed rating soared in a nose victory at mile and a sixteenth at Laurel Park April 30. You have to respect the highly productive Toledo/Russell team and this one should sit a decent stalking trip.
Get my expert 14-race Preakness Day full card picks for May 21 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 5 to win
Exacta Box 5-6
Trifecta 4-5-8/1-4-5-6-8/1-6
Recent best-bet winners
May 5 - Tom's Regret ($6.40), trifecta ($430.80)
May 6 - Olympiad ($3.80), exacta ($12.00)
May 7 - Jackie’s Warrior/Reinvestment Risk/Aloha West trifecta ($47.60)
May 10 - Li'l Jimmi Sue ($5.00), exacta ($11.00)
May 12 - I'm Blushing ($7.20)
May 13 - Teddy's Barino ($4.00), trifecta ($65.80)
May 15 - Arzak/Tap It To Win exacta ($33.10)
May 18 - Thealligatorhunter ($2.80) - dead heat
May 20 - First Captain/Vindictive exacta ($42.00)