Sunday's Best Bet: You're To Blame passes rivals in Queens County
Sunday’s 8th race from Aqueduct is the $125,000 Queens County Stakes for three-year-olds and up traveling a mile and an eighth on the main track (Post Time - 3:37 p.m. EST).
No. 1 YOU’RE TO BLAME (9-2) has been a quality runner for quite some time. He won the Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx in 2018 and placed in many stakes races over the years. He scored once in 2019 and was blanked in his next sixteen starts. He got back on the beam at Saratoga earlier this summer and scored again at Belmont Park Oct. 2. He was claimed out of the latter event by Rob Atras and he exits a solid show finish in the slop. He never really cared for wet tracks and might be able to tag these at a hint of a price on fast ground.
No. 8 Mystic Night (5-2) was part of the exacta in his first four starts this year, and was last seen finishing an even 4th as the beaten favorite at Keeneland. This is a good distance for Chad Brown’s lightly raced gelding and this looks like a good spot to try stakes company.
No. 6 Empty Tomb (7-2) exits a gritty front running win at 22-1 odds and he earned a decent speed rating at one mile that day. The early-pressing type is winless in six attempts at this distance.
No. 2 Backsideofthemoon (6-1) is 0-for-9 this year and it looks like Father Time is catching up to the likable veteran. You’re To Blame caught him Oct. 2 and should be forwardly placed at a course and distance he enjoys.
No. 3 Bourbonic (9-2) removes blinkers for Todd Pletcher and the sophomore colt will probably be last early. The late runner does some of his best work at Aqueduct.
No. 4 Olliemyboy (15-1) did not seem to care for wet tracks in his last pair for Rob Atras. He won a pair of fast track routes at Fair Grounds earlier this year.
Wagers:
No. 1 to Win
Exacta 1-8/1-6-8
Trifecta 1-8/1-2-3-4-6-8/3-4
Recent Best Bet Winners
Dec. 2 - MUSED ($6.80), Exacta ($61.80)
Dec. 7 - WITTY ($6.60)
Dec. 10 - Professors' Pride/Big Novel Exacta ($13.20)
Dec. 12 - AVENUE DE FRANCE ($17.00), Exacta ($53.20), Trifecta ($312.40)
Dec. 14 - Nine Toe Johnny/All Tacked Up Exacta ($11.20)
Dec. 16 - ISOLATE ($6.60), Trifecta ($35.20)