Bridgetown Will Wire The Nearctic
- Who: Thoroughbreds – Bridgetown, Grand Adventure, Fatal Bullet, Balthazaar’s Gift
- What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Nearctic
- Where: Woodbine
- When: Saturday, October 16th
We don’t often get a chance to handicap Grade 1 Turf Sprints, so Saturday’s Nearctic at Woodbine should offer a nice change of pace. There’s plenty of talent in The Nearctic lineup from Europe, Canada, and the U.S., which adds to the intrigue. Let’s see if we can ferret out a winner. Of the Europeans, Irish-bred Balthazaar’s Gift owns the best credentials, as well as the best recent form. The 7-year-old annexed the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster last out, leaving the filly Serious Attitude (9th) in his wake. Serious Attitude won a Group 1 event vs. members of her own sex as a 2YO, but it’s been more than a year since she last visited the winner’s circle. The German-bred Amico Fritz won a Group 2 in his home country two back, but couldn’t handle the deeper waters of the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamplast out, checking in 19th in a field of 21.
The Woodbine-based contingent is headed by millionaire Fatal Bullet. The 5YO Reade Baker trainee has done his best work on artificial surfaces, including a runner-up finish to Midnight Lute in the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita. He finished a respectable 3rd last out in the 7-furlong Play the King Stakes on the Woodbine sod, after leading most of the way. Grand Adventure also merits respect, with five wins and nearly $600K in earnings on grass. His fade in The Woodbine Mile last out was disappointing, however.
I’ll be backing the Florida-bred 3YO Bridgetown in The Nearctic, and I expect him to take this field gate-to-wire. He’s been first or second in six of his seven starts, all on grass, and has won his last three sprinting. The Ken McPeek trainee owns a stakes win over this course as a 2YO, and finished a game second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Last out, Bridgetown set a course record in winning The Gilded Time at Monmouth Park in front-running fashion. He’s the speed-of-the-speed in The Nearctic, and gets in light at 115 lbs., with Elvis Trujillo back aboard. Enjoy a night on the town after cashing on Bridgetown!
Those are my horse racing betting tips for this weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!
