Fair odds: Cameo Performance gets starring role at Turfway

Cameo Performance is the type of horse you never want to take too short of a price gambling that everything will go his way. But he is worth a bet as the fourth choice on the morning line for the Prairie Bayou Stakes on Saturday as part of the Turfway Park Synthetic Championships.

The Prairie Bayou goes as race 8 on the 10-race card, with stakes on races 6, 7, 8, and 9 making up the synthetic championships. I already addressed Caitlinhergrtness in race 6 as a worthy single to kick off the late Pick 5, so it is nice to see some very logical non-favored options later in the sequence.

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To that end, my strategy on this race will be to lean into both Cameo Performance and 4-1 morning line third choice Dresden Row and leaning against the top two choices on the morning line, favored Encino and second choice Quatrocento.

The top three choices all have forward run styles, which works against Encino most given his outside post position. With Flavien Prat up for trainer Brad Cox, it's impossible to see that one as anything but overbet against these.

Quatrocento has a couple good wins at a mile on turf, but those were around one turn on a speed-favoring Kentucky Downs course. I'm not sure this son of War Front will be at his best in a two-turn mile on synthetic.

That leaves Dresden Row as a stalk-and-pounce threat and Cameo Performance from further back. Given the latter's likely bigger price, I'll side with that one as my top pick, but I plan to use both in equal strength in a Pick 5 that singles Caitlinhergrtness.