Majesticperfection Gets Acid Test in A. G. Vanderbilt
- Who: Thoroughbreds – Quality Road, Blame, Zenyatta, Majesticperfection
- What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Whitney Handicap, The Clement L. Hirsch, The Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap
- Where: Saratoga, Del Mar
- When: Saturday, August 7th and Sunday, August 8th
Quality Road and Zenyatta are the biggest names in action this weekend, but a little-known rocket ship named Majesticperfection looks set to blast his way into the headlines. Quality Road headlines the 83rd Running of The Whitney Handicap on Saturday, which includes tough customers such as Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, millionaire Blame, the razor-sharp Haynesfield, and the ultra-consistent and versatile Musket Man. The unbeaten Zenyatta appears to have her modest competition over a barrel in Saturday’s Clement L. Hirsch, but there are doubts about her affinity for the Del Mar strip. Then we have the aforementioned Majesticperfection in The Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap on Sunday at “The Spa”…more on him later.
Quality Road will be super-tough to beat on Saturday. He can lead or stalk, so it doesn’t really matter what Ramon Dominguez on Haynesfield elects to do…when the real running starts, Haynesfield won’t be able to keep up. The only chink in Quality Road’s armor appears to be an off track, which is highly unlikely on Saturday. Blame is at the top of his game right now, loves Saratoga, and should finish with gusto to round out the chalk exacta. Musket Man is a perfect 12-for-12 in the money, for those considering a straight 3-2-6 trifecta.
We won’t spend much time on Zenyatta. The only thing that could end her career unbeaten streak (17-for-17) is if she throws in a clunker. Good luck betting on that.
Majesticperfection, with modest career earnings of $160,430, faces a trio a millionaires in the A. G. Vanderbilt. That threesome is comprised of Grade 1 winner Gayego, multiple Grade2 winner Big Drama, and 2009 Met Mile winner Bribon. Still, it appears that the Steve Asmussen trainee has this classy field at his mercy…he’s just too fast. Big Drama is the only member of the Vanderbilt cast that appears capable of applying early pressure, but Majesticperfection will dictate terms from the outside. He’s comfortable rating on the lead, and if he crosses over on Big Drama, say goodnight. That victory in The Iowa Sprint Handicap last out was as visually impressive as it gets. Majesticperfection was totally relaxed throughout, and broke the track record in a sizzling time of 1:07 1/5 while geared down in the stretch. His Beyer Speed Figure of 117 was no fluke…this $370,000 2YO sale purchase can flat-out fly. Asmussen has had him at Saratoga for more than a month, and with wins at four different venues, he certainly doesn’t have to carry his track around with him. I’ll bet on Majesticperfection to win at whatever odds the Spa crowd gives me…the “class” bettors should keep the price honest…probably in the 2-1 range.
Those are my horse racing betting tips for the weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!
