Rachel Alexandra headlines Saturday Picks

Padding Your Bankroll: Saturday June 27

The headliners on Saturday are named Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, but it certainly is going to be tough to pad our bankroll backing the two best female runners in training.

Rachel Alexandra makes her first start since beating the boys in the Preakness Stakes (G1) this afternoon at Belmont Park.

The filly is the overwhelming favorite in the $300,000 Mother Goose Stakes (G1), which drew a compact field of five.

She is 1-5 on the morning line and it is tough to come up with a scenario where she gets beat.

On the left coast later this afternoon, the undefeated Zenyatta will be attempting to make it eleven wins in a row in the $300,000 Vanity Handicap (G1), a race she won last year.

She faces seven overmatched foes and will be sent to post as the huge favorite.

It will be interesting to see how these two perform, and compare and debate their efforts in the upcoming days, but we are in this to make a few bucks.

That sends me looking for a solid Racebook betting race, and I found it at Colonial Downs this afternoon in the $50,000 Da Hoss Stakes.

The one-mile turf race drew a competitive field of 14, with eight of the runners owning wins over the beautiful turf course at the New Kent, Va. track.

My top pick Baltimore Bob is sent out by a red-hot trainer and is dropping out of tougher company. The 8/1 morning line looks generous on the colt, which will send me straight to the windows looking to pad my bankroll.

Colonial Downs Race 9 $50,000 Da Hoss Stakes Post time 4:39 ET

#7 Baltimore Bob 8/1

#5 Jungle Fighter 4/1

#2 Auction Watch 5/2

#8 Midwatch 12/1

#7 Baltimore Bob is going to be decent value in here if we catch most of his 8/1 morning line. The colt has been facing tougher, exiting a eighth place finish in the Grade 2 Dixie where he was beaten 3 ¾ lengths for the top spot. Two back the colt had a tough post and raced wide much of the trip in the Henry Clark, which was off a two-month break.

Three back he had to steady on the far turn in a sixth place finish in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida, which has turned out to be a highly rated race. The third place finisher Spice Route came back to win the Grade 2 Elkhorn and the fourth place finisher Mr. Sidney won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark in his next outing. Our top pick is 3 for 4 at today’s distance and is making his third start of his current form cycle for the Garcia barn that has been ending out live runners at the meeting (18-6-5-3).

#5 Jungle Fighter looks primed for a good effort here in his second start off a eight-month layoff. Last out against allowance foes at Del Park the gelding bobbled on the far turn over the good ground while wide and ran out of gas in the stretch in a fifth place finish. The gelding is familiar with the Colonial turf, winning the Old Nelson and Kitten’s Joy in back to back stakes wins back in ’07. He is in good hands with the Nixon barn that is 3 for 9 (with a +ROI) with horses making their second start off a +180 day layoff.