Sunday's Best Bet: Affable Monarch rules in Tale of the Cat

Sunday’s seventh race from Monmouth Park is the $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes for three-year-olds traveling a 1 1/16 miles on the turf course. (Post Time 3:05 p.m. EDT).

Click here for Monmouth Park Entries, Results

No. 6 Affable Monarch (5-1) is interesting on the surface switch. He showed ability in all three dirt starts and can move forward in his second start after a long layoff. His dam Social Queen captured the Eatontown (G3) in 2008 and Gallorette (G3) in 2009, and she has produced three turf winners.

No. 8 Portfolio Company (5-2) should be in the hunt throughout and is probably the class of the field for Chad Brown. He won his turf route bow at Saratoga last summer and competed in graded turf routes in all four starts since. He adds lasix and might move forward in his second start of the year.

No. 1 Quality G (3-1) finished in the top three in all four starts. This is his first start as a gelding and he should be forwardly placed from the inside post.

No. 7 Fort Washington (7-2) has some talent. He placed in a pair of turf route stakes earlier this year and failed to handle soft ground in the Penn Mile (G2) June 3. 

No. 3 Ohtwoohthreefive (6-1) is just 1-for-11 but he is stakes placed. He can get a piece of this.

No. 4 Crabs N Beer (8-1) is a Maryland invader with some ability. He switched to turf and ran well in his last pair but might be better sprinting.

No. 5 Airspeed Velocity (8-1) is a candidate to set the pace. He did just that in his turf route maiden win at Pimlico May 21. He just lasted that day and this is obviously a tougher spot.

No. 2 American Day (20-1) is still a maiden after seven starts. He did land the place at 85-1 last year and at 65-1 last time. A minor award is not impossible for the late runner.

Wagers:

No. 6 to Win

Exacta Box 6-8

Trifecta 6-8/1-6-7-8/1-6-7-8

Recent best-bet winners

June 1 - Nice Ace/Ribbons and Medals/Press Snooze trifecta ($23.80)
June 3 - Buy Land and See ($2.80)
June 9 - Two of a Kind ($6.50)
June 10 - Loft ($7.40)
June 13 - Easy Day/Appealing Future/Big City Bob trifecta ($93.80)
June 17 - Redline ($6.00)
June 18 - Private Mission ($4.80), trifecta ($46.80)
Tuesday - Grounded/Nice Ace/Patriot Drive trifecta ($85.40)
Wednesday - Mr Dumas ($6.80)
Saturday - Bout Time ($6.00), exacta ($14.40)