Arlington Stakes Double: Stacelita with Gio Ponti
- Who: Thoroughbreds – Stacelita, Gio Ponti, Cape Blanco
- What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Beverly D., The Arlington Million
- Where: Arlington
- When: Saturday, August 13th
If you’re hanging onto the Gio Ponti bandwagon by your fingertips…don’t jump off yet! Open your Beverly D./Arlington Million Double with the top-class Stacelita (morning line 3-1), and close it out with the always-tough Gio Ponti (morning line2-1). Read more to find out why:
Throughout her career, Stacelita has more than held her own vs. the world’s best turf runners, including Midday and Dar Re Mi, and in the process has amassed a bankroll of more than $1.6 million. Last out, she went favored in the Grade 1 United Nations Handicap vs. males, finishing a close-up third. Since that effort, her first stateside, she moved to the barn of trainer Chad Brown, who wins at a 23% clip with new arrivals. She’ll receive Lasix for the first time in The Beverly D., which has yielded a generous ROI of $3.48 in a limited sample of Brown trainees. Top jockey Ramon Dominguez hops aboard for the first time. The trainer/jockey combo of Brown/Dominguez clicks at 26% with a positive ROI of $2.11. Brown has been impressed with Stacelita thus far, and so are we. Single this multiple-Grade 1 winner in the first half of the Beverly D./Arlington Million Double.
In the featured event, the 29th Running of The Arlington Million, Irish invader Cape Blanco is likely to go favored off his resounding score in last month’s Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park. However, the classy 4YO from the powerhouse Aidan O’Brien stable has logged a ton of air miles recently, and washed out badly in his first appearance trackside at Arlington Friday morning. I’ll take one last stab with the hard-hitting Gio Ponti, who trainer Christophe Clement insists is still at the top of his game.
Gio Ponti likes the Arlington sod, having won the 2009 edition of this race, and following up with a second-place finish last year to the rail-skimming Debussy. Clement would like to see a firm turf course, so he’ll be praying for the rain to hold off. Gio Ponti turned in a pair of sparkling works at Saratoga in preparation for this, and regular rider Dominguez retains the mount. I’ll be betting a straight 1/5 Double…#1-Stacelita with #5-Gio Ponti, riding the coattails of jockey Ramon Dominguez.
Those are my horse racing betting tips for Arlington Million Day. Best of luck and happy gambling!
