Horse Racing Odds - Zeroing in on the Futurity/Matron double

• Who: Thoroughbreds – D’Funnybone, Awesome Maria, Dashing Debby

• What: Horse Racing Odds – The Futurity, The Matron

• Where: Belmont Park

• When: Saturday, September 19th

It’s always exciting to see the top two-year-olds getting into gear in the fall. You find yourself wondering if perhaps you’re looking at the next Secretariat or even Rachel Alexandra. While it’s highly doubtful that anything of that caliber will be lining up this Saturday at Belmont Park, there appears to be several youngsters with promising futures. Let’s see if we can make some betting money on them right now.

In The Futurity, the Rick Dutrow-trained D’Funnybone will be heavily backed and rightfully so. He turned in an amazing performance two back in The Frank Gomez Memorial at Calder Race Course, in which he finished a hard-fought second to the talented Jackson Bend (who went on to win two more stakes races). On that day, jockey Edgar Prado was amazed that D’Funnybone was coughing before and after the race, yet still made Jackson Bend work hard for the victory. D’Funnybone was fully recovered for the Grade 2 Saratoga Special last out, drawing off to win by 10 ½ lengths. He has been training forwardly ever since.

The regally-bred Discreetly Mine, who has been favored in the racebook in all three of his starts, will break from the rail under Cornelio Velasquez, who takes over for Prado. Discreetly Mine finished fourth behind eventual Hopeful winner Dublin two back, but visited the winner’s circle last out at Saratoga. He’s the main threat to the top pick.

The Matron is headed by Worstcasescenario, upset winner (13.90-1) of the Grade 2 Adirondack last out. She stalked a torrid pace set by favored Dashing Debby (.95-1) before pulling away to win by 4 ½ lengths. I’m going to leave her off the double ticket, and use her vanquished foe, Dashing Debby, along with promising maiden winner Awesome Maria. The Stan Hough trainee just missed in her career debut at The Spa, but did everything right next out when she romped in the slop by more than eight lengths. By Maria’s Mon out of an Awesome Again mare, Awesome Maria should get even better as the distances stretch out.

There’s your horse racing odds betting Tip of the Week: the 2YO Stakes Daily Double this Saturday at Belmont Park...#6-D’Funnybone in The Futurity with #4-Awesome Maria and #6-Dashing Debby in The Matron.

Happy gambling!

Pete Mitchell is BetOnline.com's horse racing expert.