Starter stakes top Saturday card at Aqueduct

Starter stakes top Saturday card at Aqueduct //
By the New York Hot List Staff – Friday, March 26, 2021 //

Just like Gulfstream Park, Aqueduct will offer 10 stakes races Saturday. Of course, there’s a difference. While the Florida card will feature one of the premier Kentucky Derby preps and five other graded stakes, the Big A card consists of 10 starter allowance stakes for claimers seeking an unusually high payday. The 10 stakes are worth a combined $620,000. Best of all, five of the 10 races have nine or more starters and three have 11 or more, making for some nice wagering opportunities.

Here’s the Hot List picks:

Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 10 – Race 10 is the Dads Cap, which is a starter allowance with a field of 12, where horses must have run for an $8,000 tag or less in the past two years and now get to vie for a $45,000 purse. These starter allowances are interesting to handicap because in that two-year time period they can be running in much tougher company since the time that try ran for $8,000. (8) The Queens Jules ran for the $8,000 qualifier back in May at Gulfstream and since then he has been facing much tougher competition including in his most recent start at Aqueduct where he lost by less than a length going a mile. The cut back to seven furlongs should suit him well. (11) Seven Lilies has been facing high level NY-bred allowance competition lately with a win two races back. (12) Honorable Service was claimed by Rudy Rodriguez in January at the Big A for the $8,000 tag and since then has climbed the ladder with a nose loss for $20,000 two starts ago. (6) Direct Order got claimed last start for $8,000 where he closed on a sloppy track to finish second beaten by less than a length. In his prior race he was taken for $16,000 and has lots of back class.

Analysis of the other NY Hot List races and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.