Saturday's Best Bet: Tapit Shoes shoves off in Bath House Row
Saturday’s 11th race at Oaklawn is the $200,000 Bath House Row Stakes for 3-year-olds traveling 1 1/8 miles on the main track. The scheduled post time is 6:46 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Oaklawn entries and results.
No. 9 Tapit Shoes (7-2) improved his speed ratings in all four starts. Brad Cox’s fresh colt exits a close show finish in an optional claiming route at Fair Grounds, and he might be in the right spot stalking the pace while out in the clear under Kent Desormeaux.
No. 6 Victory Formation (3-1) got loose in the Smarty Jones Stakes and he kept on finding in that local flat mile affair. He easily handled his stablemate Angel of Empire that day, but could not match strides with that one in the Risen Star. He was stuck out in post 13 and stalked above par fractions before fading out of contention in the latter race. He adds lasix and has been freshened for this, and Luis Saez is 2-for-2 with him.
No. 7 Two Eagles River (4-1) ran Victory Formation to a neck in a local sprint last fall. The early-pressing gelding was third in a productive flat mile affair on Jan. 14, and controlled the pace and beat Disarm on Feb. 19. He carved out the fractions before fading in the Arkansas Derby, and this is an easier spot.
No. 4 Red Route One (2-1) leaves himself with too much work to do, and that is why he is in this race instead of the Kentucky Derby. Steve Asmussen’s one-run closer adds lasix and will try to get involved late. He is 0-for-6 on dirt with runner-up finishes in the Southwest and Rebel.
Get Jarrod’s Santa Anita analysis.
Wagers
No. 9 to win
Exacta 6-9/4-6-9
Trifecta 6-7-9/6-7-9/4
Recent Best Bet winners
April 5 – Ego Man ($4.80), exacta ($21.80), trifecta ($39.80)
April 9 – First Peace ($10), trifecta ($207.20)
April 10 – Out Dancing ($9), exacta ($13)
April 12 – Street Swagg ($8.94)
April 13 – Curl Girl ($4.06)
Last Friday – Love Reigns ($7.38), trifecta ($224.64)
Last Saturday – Twilight Gleaming ($7.54)