US Racing / Christina Olivares / 14 May 2010 /

All eyes will be on Super Saver at Pimlico this Saturday as he bids to win the second leg of the Triple Crown but Christina Olivares has found some intriguing bets on the undercard that could help you win big in Baltimore.

Race Six: The Chick Lang Stakes

This race is Comedero's to lose. He will be a heavy favorite and deservedly so. He comes in with three wins in a row and all by dominating margins. His early speed is his weapon and he will most likely make the lead and take control of this race. If you're looking to upset him, perhaps the Nick Zito runner Latigo Shore. Latigo Shore appears to have a lot of upside. Throw out his last race as he had quite a lot of trouble and if Zito thinks he's up to par with stakes quality horses, he will give a good account of himself.

Race Seven: The James W Murphy Stakes

I'll put Manhattan Fox on top. His first two efforts stateside have been very impressive. The turf racing at Gulfstream Park is some of the strongest turf racing we have here over the winter season. Manhattan Fox was second to an impressive runner in Saint Eligius two races back and was too close to a strong pace last time out. Christophe Clement trains Manhattan Fox and also has a good runner in Montesquieu. The barn appears to have figured him out and his gate to wire win on April 10th was done in a fast final time. If Montesqqieu repeats his last performance he could very easily upset his stablemate in here. Also, one to watch is Beau Choix on the rail for Barclay Tagg. He dropped way too far off the pace last time out and gave himself too much to do in the lane but he still gave a game chase. Javier Castellano needs to keep him closer to the pace and he will be competitive.

Race Eight: The William Donald Schaeffer

This is a two horse race between Understatement and Blame. Both horses posses higher speed figures than any others in the race. They are each stakes winners, although Blame is a graded stakes winner while Understatement has won some lower level stakes races. Understatement does his best running on the front end and I expect him to make the lead in here. He will have some company on the front end however and for that reason, the race sets up better for Blame. Blame has proven he can run well fresh and comes in off the layoff for this race. At a price, Flying Private could upset this field. He's been just a step slower than some of the top runners but is in good current form.

Race Nine: The Gallorette Handicap

I look for Shared Account to run a breakout race for Graham Motion. She has been in premiere competition since being switched to the turf and is yet to catch a firm turf course. Unfortunately, the Baltimore area is expecting some rain throughout the day on Friday so there will be some moisture to the turf course. Still, the turf should be firmer than any of the soft or yielding courses she has run over thus far. Even with all this against her; the soft turf and stiff competition, Shared Account has still been a runner up against grade one fillies and mares. Another top runner to consider is Ranbow View. Her European form was strong and she was nearly a winner in the grade one EP Taylor. She followed that up with a sharp race in the Breeders Cup and showed that she has maintained her good form when returning off the layoff at Keeneland this past April. That last race against allowance runners is a perfect prep for the Gallorette.

Race 10: The Maryland Sprint Handicap

We don't necessarily associate Bill Mott and Kent Desormeaux with dirt sprinters that like the front end but that's what we have with Snapshot. And they certainly have this horse figured out. The last time Snapshot ran against stakes competition he finished second to Custom For Carlos. Custom For Carlos has since gone on to win multiple stakes races. Snapshot has a good pattern coming in with two races under his belt and a nice six weeks between races. He'll be the top pick. Taqarub deserves another chance at Pimlico and thus some consideration for this race. His last race over this course was in 2009 he went favored for the Hirsch Jacobs. Something went amiss that day and after a sixth place finish Taqarub went to the sidelines for eight months. Since then, he has yet to be given the opportunity to sprint over the dirt.....which if you look at his early form, appears to be his game. Another one to consider is Half Metal Jacket. Since the claim Sydney Dutrow has moved this horse up. Another step forward makes him competitive.

Race 11: The Dixie

Nicanor will take a lot of money as the sentimental choice. He is a full brother to Barbaro and already has a strong following. I spoke to trainer Micheal Matz over the winter at Gulfstream Park and he was very encouraged by the progress this horse was making as he matured. For the lengthy layoff he faced into his last race at Keeneland, a fifth place finish is fair. I look for him to improve but to take more sentimental money than handicapping money. Others to consider are: Grassy, a runner in the money in four of five starts and Picou, who got a perfect pace setup last time out at Tampa but I always give extra consideration to Chad Brown runners.

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