Keys to a winning bet on Los Alamitos' 2017 Bayakoa Handicap
By Jarrod Horak
Sunday’s Grade 2 Bayakoa Handicap from Los Alamitos features an intriguing eight-horse field headed by 2016 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Champagne Room, the 3-1 morning line favorite.
Here are a few keys to winning on the day's featured race.
Beat the Favorite
Champagne Room will almost certainly take too much win action after setting the pace and weakening to sixth place in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She easily won the Remington Park Oaks prior to her last start, and she captured two graded events as a juvenile. She was well-beaten in both graded starts this year.
The two runners with the most upside are Majestic Heat and Pacific Wind.
Majestic Heat switched to dirt, tracked the pace from an outer post, and powered away in the Betty Grable Stakes vs. Cal-bred extended sprinters at Del Mar on Nov. 12. She was a classy turf route runner prior to her last and should stalk the pace under Mike Smith.
Champagne Room’s uncoupled stablemate, Pacific Wind, showed plenty of promise in turf routes to begin her career and placed in a couple of graded events. The 3-year-old filly switched to dirt at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 21 and cruised to an easy off the pace score from the inside post after bobbling at the start. Rafael Bejarano sticks with the talented daughter of Curlin.
Pace Makes the Race
Champagne Room likes to run on or near the lead, but she is not the only one with that style here. Street Surrender exits a turf sprint and carved out the fractions in her last two dirt routes. She breaks from the rail and only has one way to go under Evin Roman. Constellation stretches out in distance and was a frequent pace player in her previous stakes sprint outings.
With multiple horses vying for early supremacy, the pace should be honest and stalkers might rule the day.
The Rest of the Field
The Bayakoa field is completed by Madame Stripes, Shenandoah Queen, and Bernina Star.
Madame Stripes is a late-running turf route specialist with four top three finishes in stakes races this year.
Shenandoah Queen won the restricted Tranquility Queen Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 25 and should be forwardly placed.
Bernina Star rallied for the show in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar earlier this year. She will try to get involved late but is light on numbers.
The Wagers
#3 Majestic Heat (7-2) and #6 Pacific Wind (9-2) are my top win contenders, and the latter might offer the most wagering value. I will make a win wager on Pacific Wind and play an exacta box with Majestic Heat.