How to bet the 2024 Gallorette Stakes

A total of nine fillies and mares, with two as main-track only entrants, are slated for the grassy $100,000 Gallorette S. (G3) at Pimlico on Saturday. Chad Brown’s #7 Fluffy Socks (6-5) is the clear class of the race and she will be the one to hold off late. As much as I root for this mare in general, she’s often hard to back with total confidence, especially in this endeavor at miniscule odds. 

Gallorette Wager

• $40 exacta 1 with 7 ($40)

Pros: The Slumber mare has high quality and has been facing some of the best horses in her division for a few seasons running. She gets a lot of class relief in the affair, and her lone local appearance resulted in a win, too. Adding to the positives, the stout late runner will have regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the controls.

Cons: The Head of Plains homebred is just 5-for-25 in her lifetime with 13 placings on her resume. She is 1-for-10 at the 1 1/16 miles distance, and with so many starts to her credit, I assume that we have seen the best from the lass already. Her one-run closing style in a field lacking a lot of pace is not a positive, either. 

I think the race will go through #1 Sweet Dani Girl (4-1) for conditioner Christophe Clement. The Jess’s Dream five-year-old was purchased for $350,000 in November and is 2-for-3 for her new connections, led by a score in the Sunshine Millions at Gulfstream Park three back. The chestnut is not without her flaws, which include low Brisnet Speed figures as of late, as well as, a poor effort in her latest appearance, But she has some back class, good tactical speed, and a comfy draw on the fence. 

Sweet Dani Girl comes in fresh for a sharp layoff conditioner, and I envision her tracking the early pace from second in the early stage of the affair with dead aim on the front runner turning for home. Getting the jump on Fluffy Socks will make her hard to run down in the stretch if she fires her best shot, which I expect. The Florida-bred will be let run a lot sooner on Saturday than her three prior engagements with Joel Rosario in the silks.