Betting With, and Against, Dazzling Blue in the Roxelana Stakes

The Juddmonte’s stakes-winning #6 Dazzling Blue (3-1) is the morning-line choice for the $200,000 Roxelana S. at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The opening-day feature attracted a nice field of 10 for the six-furlong affair, and the Brad Cox trainee will surely have a say in the outcome with anything close to her top performance. 

Dazzling Blue – With

• $2 trifecta key 6 with 4,9 with all ($32)
• $1 trifecta key 6 with all with 4,9 ($16)

Dazzling Blue – Against

• $14 win and place #9 Socially Selective ($28)
• $1 superfecta 9 with 4,6 with 4,6 with all ($14)
• 50-cent superfecta 9 with 4,6 with all with 4,6 ($7)

Bred in the Bluegrass State, the daughter of Into Mischief blitzed a pair of fields in wire-to-wire fashion to begin her career as a juvenile, and she commenced her sophomore campaign with a superb score beneath the Twin Spires, once again leading at every call in posting a facile, 8 1/4-length romp. 

The four-year-old was a very good second in the Victory Ride (G3) at Belmont in July, prior to being a distant third in both the Prioress S. (G2) and Raven Run S. (G2) to cap 2023. She has trained forwardly in advance of this assignment, and with her pace foes drawn to her inside, she has a clear voyage every step of the way. Dazzling Blue will be tough to run down late with a return to her two-year-old form under Florent Geroux. 

I like #9 Socially Selective (6-1) as the potential one to beat for conditioner Bill Mott.  The $95,000 yearling purchase by Speightster, has been first or second in each of the handful of starts to begin her career, and she has room for improvement, too. The chestnut comes off of a pair of fine victories at Gulfstream Park this campaign, and while she wasn’t beating top competition, it’s the way she has done it that impresses me. The Kentucky-bred four-year-old is quick from the gate and strong in the lane, and I expect her to sit a perfect trip just off of the speed to the top of the lane on Saturday. She will have dead aim on the leaders with Junior Alvarado in the stirrups. 

#4 Positano Sunset (12-1) has too much value to be ignored in the affair while making her 2024 debut. The Ian Wilkes pupil bagged her initial stakes win in her sophomore finale at Ellis Park, and she returns to the oval that she graduated on today. This Goldencents filly might be a little short off the shelf, but she rates as a major top-three contender, nonetheless, with Julien Leparoux riding.