Weekend Winners Club

.

The second year of the Preakness Futures Pool is underway this week, with Pool 1 closing at 8PM Saturday, after two three-year- old prep races are run, and before the other 2.  The Gotham G3 at Aqueduct is slated for 5:36PM, and the depleted Fountain of Youth G2 is set for a 6:10PM post time.

Preakness Stakes at Pimlico

.

The Battaglia Memorial is scheduled for 8:25PM at Turfway, after the pool closes, and the San Felipe G2 has been rescheduled for Sunday. Several of the contenders in Preakness Pool 1 are competing in the Saturday and Sunday prep races.  With that in mind, here’s what you need to know.

.

Gotham G3 5:36PM ET, 8f at The Aqueduct:

Just a Touch (5-2ML) remains intact after late scratches, and is the morning line and post time favorite after winning his debut romp in the mud at the Fair Grounds for Brad Cox.  He is 57-1 in Pool 1, up from 30-1 morning line, but that will come down again considerably if he wins the Gotham, in which he is the only Pool 1 contender.

.

Fountain of Youth G2 6:10PM ET, 8.5f at Gulfstream Park

Dornoch (2-1) is not surprisingly favored, after rattling off 2 wins including a Remsen G2 win at Aqueduct last out for Danny Gargan.  At current odds he is the 3^rd choice in Pool 1 at 15-1 odds, same as ML.

Speak Easy (9-2) should end up as the favorite or co-favorite in this race, in his second career start after blazing away to a 98 PF in his MSW debut at Gulfstream for Todd Pletcher.  Currently registering at 45-1 in Pool 1, that will shoot down way lower if he shreds the FOY field.

.

John Battaglia Memorial 8:25PM ET at Turfway Park

Epic Ride (5-2) heads the field after 2 straight wins at Turfway, including the Leonatus Stakes last out for John Ennis. Currently at triple digit odds in Pool 1, those will likely not come down, considering the 8:25PM post time, so if you think he will move forward tonight, he’s a good bet.

Bolt at Midnight (4-1) owns the highest PF in the race, an 89 last out, breaking his maiden at Turfway for Mick Ruis.  He does not appear in Pool 1, but stands a good chance of winning tonight.

.

San Felipe G2 6PM ET Sunday at Santa Anita

Nysos (2-5) is the prohibitive favorite, winning all 3 starts for Bob Baffert, including the Bob Hope G3 at Del Mar and the RB Lewis G3 at Santa Anita last out. Nysos is also the Pool 1 favorite at 5-2, so win or lose, you’re not getting good odds.  Bob trains 3 of the 5 entries in the race, and could well take the top 3 slots across the wire.  It’s unknown if Nysos will be pointed to the Kentucky Derby yet, but regardless, he will likely be the favorite for the Preakness, a race in which Baffert trainees have done very well.

.

The Pool 1 Field, meaning all horses that don’t have individual odds in the Pool, remains a viable bet at 6-1 odds.  However, there are many individual entries that have great odds listed, so today is a good time to take your chances on a Preakness longshot.  You won’t see odds like this again on race day.

.

Check it out for yourself!  We are providing the Pool 1 Grid here free of charge. The odds won’t change much if at all, until after the two early evening prep races are run, so follow them on your favorite wagering site before placing your final bets tonight.

Download the Pool 1 Grid here: EQA03022024G

.

You can get The Grid for all your favorite tracks, races, and futures pools right here!

Trackback URI | Comments RSS