Man O’ War Stakes Betting – You Da Man
The 53rd Man o’ War Stakes will be renewed this Saturday at Belmont and those on-line horserace bettors will need to find a runner that has enough stamina to get the cash as they have to travel a mile and three eighths on the grass.
A total of $600,000 will be up for grabs and 7 will be shooting for the top prize.
Players who bet horses know that Man o’ War himself is considered one of the greatest runners of all time. The son of Fair Play raced 21 times, who a ton of stakes including the Hopeful, Preakness, Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Ironically, his only defeat was in the Sanford stakes to a horse aptly known as Upset in August of 1919 and the margin of defeat was by a scant neck.
Star after star has won this race over the decades including Fort Marcy, Majestic Light, Theatrical, Red Rocks and the great Secretariat.
Saturday, just like in any other race, pace will play an important part of the final outcome.
Gio Ponti will have a bull’s-eye on his back as he shoots for this third consecutive win in this fixture.
In the two previous years, Ponti used the Grade 1 Manhattan as a springboard to this race but he came up short this year when a closing third on June 11 when hooked wide.
It’s all about the final stages for Ponti as he has zero speed. He generally settles early, then unleashes a relentless kick that has allowed him to win 11 of 25 races with 8 seconds.
Saturday, he will have the same problem he had last time in the Manhattan as arch rival on the rail, Mission Approved, is the lone speed and will try to prove his recent win at 21-1 was no fluke.
Mission Approved is a reformed claimer, but he is no mirage. He just failed to hold off Gio in this race last year and will be sent along early by J.L. Espinoza, try to slow them down as much as he can, and then try to hold off the deep closers.
Online horse betting players know he will be tough right back.
In post two comes Bearpath, who was fourth in this race last year. He comes to the race with a better foundation this time and rates an upset glance.
Boisterous is next and he was on the wrong surface early in this career. Once put on grass, he blossomed but this race is a far cry from beating up on $60K stakes foes on a yielding course.
Al Khali is zero for 4 this year and he lost a close one in April in a much softer affair.
Savvy sports betting players will remember that Nownownow did win a Grade 2 in his career but it came on the synthetic at Santa Anita at 18-1.
Completing the field is Cape Blanco, who is the wild card in this race. Trained by the legendary Aidan O’Brien, he is a multiple Group 1 winner in Europe. He is 0 for 3 this year, but was 4th beaten just a length in the $10 million Dubai World Cup in March.
This is not O’Brien’s first rodeo either as he has won several important stakes in this country including the Arlington Million and three Breeders’ Cup races.
Here’s is how it figures to unfold when the spring the gates. Mission Approved will try to wire this field. Possible candidates to push the pace include Nownownow and the O’Brien student.
In his 2011 opener, Approved got away with pedestrian splits but the feeling is it will be more heated this time. He will start to tire inside the 16th pole and that’s when Ponti gets into gear.
