There are few bigger weekends of the racing season on the turf than this weekend. Huge Grade 1 action will be taking place both in the United States and in Europe, but which races should punters be betting on with the leading horse racing betting sites?
Awesome Again Stakes- Grade 1
We will start in the United States on a big day at Santa Anita. The feature race of the day is the Awesome Again Stakes, which is a Grade 1 run over 1 1/8 miles. This race will be all about the return of Medina Spirit, as Bob Baffert looks for a seventh win in this huge race.
Medina Spirit and Baffert have been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past couple of months since the three-year-olds win in the Kentucky Derby. A failed drugs test has yet to led to any form of form of punishment, and the horse comes into this having won the Shared Belief Stakes just last month.
However, we will be taking on the Kentucky Derby winner this weekend. Tizamagician will be the ride of Flavien Prat, and has shown incredible consistency throughout the season. He has won three times and finished second in six starts, with victories in the G3 Cougar II Stakes and G3 Tokyo City Cup.
Pick: Tizamagician
Rodeo Drive Stakes- Grade 1
The other Grade 1 at Santa Anita this weekend is the Rodeo Drive Stakes, which is a race for fillies and mares aged three and older. The contest is run over 1 ¼ miles, and it looks set to be a thrilling race in prospect.
Many of the contenders have question marks hanging over them, but we like the chances of Magic Attitude. She was disappointing in recent starts in the G1 Diana and G2 New York, but is very capable of reversing that form this weekend. Evidence of that can be found in her performance when winning the G2 Sheepshead. Her form last season was also very strong, winning the G1 Belmont Oaks, and finishing third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup.
Fast Jet Court is another horse that we like as a place contender. She was fourth on her American debut in the John C. Mabee, but has a proven backlog of form in Brazil, winning two Grade 1s and two Grade 3s.
Pick: Magic Attitude
Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe- Group 1
Make no mistake about it, the biggest race this weekend takes place in Longchamp, France. The prestigious 100threnewal of The Arc has a purse of €5 million, making it one of the richest races in the world. A huge field of stars, which includes British Classic winners, a Breeders’ Cup winner and two very interesting contenders from Japan, will travel over a distance of one mile and three furlongs.
Cases can be made for a number of the horses involved in this thrilling race. Adayar is the pick of the top two in the market, as he will be looking to become the fourth Derby winner in 14 to win this. He was excellent when last seen winning the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Hurricane Lane is the St Leger winner that is involved this weekend, and is our pick despite the fact that Leger winners don’t tend to do well in The Arc. He has lost on just one occasion to date, and has also won a graded race in France this year. Deep Bond could be the value pick in the market for Japan, as he won at Longchamp in September, beating Broome by a length and a half.
Pick: Hurricane Lane
