Sunday PDJFund Handicapping Contest: Down $60.60, RT picks races at Churchill Downs, Garrity picks 2 stakes at Santa Anita
Bettors Insider's two horse racing handicapping experts – Chris Garrity (@belmostickey) and RT and SmartCap (@RTsSpot) – have agreed to take part in a weekly handicapping contest throughout June.
For the contest, each handicapper will designate one of his race picks per weekday and two on Saturday and Sunday. Win, place, show betting only. $20 per bet. Weeks run Monday through Sunday.
The 'capper with the most money at the end of each week will have a donation made in his name to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. You can donate to the fund here.
Play along and in future months you may have a chance to beat the pros.
Yesterday
RT bet $7 win, $13 place on 3-Lagoon Macaroon in the 2nd race at Churchill Downs and the same bets on 8-Gold Credit in the 5th race at Churchill Downs. Each of those fine horses finished fourth so RT gets no credit, gold or otherwise. Garrity put $20 to win on 4-Casual in the Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park and $20 to win on 8-Tiz the Law in the Belmont Stakes. Casual was the stroll the horse took, finishing far behind the winner Gamine. Tiz, however, twaz the winner, returning $38. Going into Sunday, RT is now +77.40 this week and Garrity is +$138.
RT's Picks
Churchill Downs, Race 1, $20 win on 2-The Rock Says. Post time 1 pm EDT.
Churchill Downs, Race 8, $7 win on 6-KJ's Nobility. $13 place on 7-By Your Side. Post time 4;46 pm EDT.
Why: See RT's complete analysis and SmartCap cards for the races here.
Garrity's Picks
Santa Anita, Race 6, $20 to win on #3 Tintoretto, post time 6:03 pm ET.
Santa Anita, Race 10, $20 to win on #8 Bowies Hero, post time 8:03 pm ET
Why: First, Santa Anita - this is the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes, 1¾ miles, Turf, 3 & Up. We like a European import in this race: in a field with runners who look to have distance challenges, and will have a hard time staying this marathon 1¾ mile distance, the pick is 3-Tintoretto, a German-bred who ran well last year in some minor stakes in Germany, but makes his Santa Anita debut today. He’s technically not a first-time Euro, as his first four career starts were in New York and Florida, but he’s a true European-bred horse, and that means going long on grass. We think he wins this, and while he will likely be shorter than his 8-1 morning line odds, we still think we’ll get a decent price on him.
Next, also at Santa Anita, the Grade 3 American Stakes, 1 mile, Turf, 3 & Up. This is a great race; the field looks more like a Grade 1 race than a Grade 3. 8-Bowies Hero is the pick. He’s in excellent form, and he’s got the perfect style for mile turf races: enough early speed to stay reasonably close to the leaders, and a devastating kick late. There could be a blanket finish in this race, and there are other strong closers, but we think that Bowies Hero is going to prevail in a thriller. Our second contest play will be to bet him to win at 4-1.