How to bet the 2024 Hurricane Bertie Stakes

A well-matched field of eight fillies and mares will travel 6 1/2 furlongs in a very good rendition of the $125,000 Hurricane Bertie S. (G3) at Gulfstream Park on Saturday. I’ve cashed tickets on multiple occasions with the Rusty Arnold-trained #2 Red Carpet Ready in the past and will stay loyal to the talented daughter of Oscar Performance in her first attempt with elders. 

Hurricane Bertie Wagers

• $10 double #2 Red Carpet Ready with 1,2,10,12 ($40)
• $4 double #7 Libban with 1,2,10,12 ($16)

The $180,000 yearling was a dominant debut winner at Churchill Downs in her juvenile unveiling and followed that race up with a 3 1/4-length romp in the Fern Creek S. beneath the Twin Spires to cap her two-year-old campaign. She commenced 2023 with a tally in the Forward Gal S. (G3) on this oval, and the dark bay also came out on top in the Eight Belles S. (G3) in her three-year-old season.

Red Carpet Ready has obvious class to her, she is training forwardly, and the filly might be the one to catch if Luis Saez sends her early, which I think will happen. The Kentucky-bred faces a strong cast but I expect her to be a major player in this division in 2024. 

I’m also intrigued by #7 Libban, one of the two in the affair for Saffie Joseph. The Laoban filly is a two-time winner on the course and will relish the cutback in distance in this spot. She has been a dominant winner in each of her last trio of races around one turn, and the winning threat gets a fine draw outside of the other pace in the heat, too. Tyler Conner will be in the stirrups. 

The race following is a one-mile turf maiden special weight contest with a quartet of contenders that can win, in my opinion, and I will use each of them in the late double. 

Godolphin homebred #1 Hunt Ball, Shug McGaughey’s #2 Act of Mutiny, second-time starter #10 John the Beer Man, and Pletcher’s #12 I See You Lookin each have a lot of upside and one of them will get the job done to close out the card.