This Saturday, Aqueduct hosts the ultimate marquee card in New York for 2024, with 4 graded stakes on faucet headlined by the Cigar Mile Handicap Offered by Twinspires.com. Two different stakes races on the cardboard – the Remsen Stakes and the Demoiselle Stakes – are key early preps for the 2025 Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve and the Longines Kentucky Oaks, respectively.
The Remsen and Demoiselle are each held at 1 1/8 miles round two turns, making them the one prep races for juveniles held at that distance. Within the Demoiselle’s case, this distance is identical because the Kentucky Oaks Might 2 at Churchill Downs. Since Churchill Downs created the Street to the Kentucky Oaks factors collection in 2012, one filly has gained each races – Malathaat in 2020-’21, and two Demoiselle winners completed second within the Oaks (Marvel Gadot in 2017-’18 and Nest in 2021-’22).
This yr’s Demoiselle drew 10 2-year-old fillies and has a transparent morning-line favourite in #1 Muhimma, who ships to New York from coach Brad Cox’s base at Churchill Downs. The Munnings filly has been dominant in each of her begins main as much as this stakes debut, romping by 7 ½ lengths in a 6 ½-furlong maiden Sept. 10 at Churchill after which principally repeating that effort when taking a seven-furlong allowance-optional claiming race beneath the Twin Spires by 5 ½ lengths Nov. 1.
In each races, Muhimma pressed the early tempo earlier than taking up at will heading out of the flip, and her pedigree means that she’ll have the ability to lengthen that tactical pace round two turns Saturday. Her dam (mom) set a course report for 1 5/16 miles (a distance longer than the Kentucky Derby) again in 2019, albeit on turf at Kentucky Downs. And her second dam is top-class turf mare Pure Clan, who gained two Grade 1 route stakes again within the 2000s and earned greater than $1.9 million.
Muhimma seems to be very formidable within the Demoiselle, however she’ll in all probability be wager all the way down to odds beneath even-money to win.
Which filly or fillies have the potential to upset the favourite? Two are price contemplating: #6 Bless the Damaged and #8 Magnificence Reigns. Bless the Damaged gained her debut at lower-tier observe Evangeline Downs again in July in a dash and was then transferred to up-and-coming coach Will Walden in Kentucky. She was backed at odds of three.53-1 in her bluegrass debut at Keeneland, however didn’t hearth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance-optional claiming race and completed a distant eighth of 9 runners. However in her second begin, one other 1 1/16-mile allowance at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15, the Laoban filly closed nicely right into a sluggish tempo to complete a head behind Amarth. That effort was encouraging sufficient for Bless the Damaged’s connections to ship her to New York for the Demoiselle, and she or he has a strong pedigree for route racing as her dam is a half-sister to 2013 Kentucky Oaks winner and millionaire Princess of Sylmar. Bless the Damaged may even race with blinkers eliminated within the Demoiselle.
Magnificence Reigns gained her debut in eye-catching style going 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 8 at Aqueduct for Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott, who managed 2023 champion 2-year-old filly Simply F Y I. The daughter of Into Mischief broke nicely after which raced simply behind the early pacesetter earlier than making a transfer for the lead on the flip. She was joined by My Sherrona on her outdoors in early stretch and briefly misplaced the lead, however responded to gamely flip again that rival and prevail by a half-length.
Magnificence Reigns’ remaining time was greater than two seconds slower than Muhimma’s maiden win on the identical distance, however betting on 2-year-olds is all about recognizing potential and I feel this filly can enhance considerably in her second begin beneath the steerage of among the best trainers within the sport’s historical past. Magnificence Reigns can also be bred to race longer – her unraced dam is by Tapit and her second dam (maternal grandmother), by “Iron Horse” Large’s Causeway, is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup route winners Candy Catomine and Life Is Candy.
Should you’re contemplating making a trifecta wager, there are a few fillies that I feel have an opportunity to complete third in #2 Liam within the Mud and #10 Ballerina d’Oro. The previous almost gained the one-mile Pocahontas Stakes again in September at Churchill Downs and completed second to Muhimma in her Nov. 1 allowance win, whereas the latter has had poor begins in all three of her races run on turf however made up floor late in every of them, successful a one-mile occasion at Kentucky Downs in September and ending three lengths behind proficient Might Day Prepared within the Jessamine Stakes Offered by Keeneland Gross sales in October. She’ll make her dust debut within the Demoiselle for four-time Eclipse Award-winning coach Chad Brown.
Nonetheless, I’m going to concentrate on exacta bets on this race, restricted to a $30 finances. I’ll field Muhimma, Bless the Damaged, and Magnificence Reigns in a $4 exacta, totaling $24, after which field the 2 higher-priced fillies in a $3 exacta field, totaling $6. If Muhimma wins and both Bless the Damaged or Magnificence Reigns finishes second, I’ll hopefully make again most of my expenditure. But when both Bless the Damaged or Magnificence Reigns wins and Muhimma finishes second, I ought to make a revenue on the race – and if my upset candidates end 1-2 both approach, I’ll have a pleasant $7 exacta to money and winnings to allocate towards profligate vacation spending.
Betting technique on a $30 finances:
$4 exacta field: Muhimma, Bless the Damaged, and Magnificence Reigns ($24)
What to say on the betting window: Aqueduct, Race 8, $4 exacta field, 1,6,and eight
$3 exacta field: Bless the Damaged and Magnificence Reigns ($6)
What to say on the betting window: Aqueduct, Race 8, $3 exacta field, 6 and eight
