How to bet the 2024 LaCombe Memorial Stakes

A nice field of 10 sophomore fillies will travel about one mile on the Fair Grounds turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Allen Black Cat Lacombe Memorial S. The affair goes through #10 Pink Polkadots (9-5) for trainer Joe Sharp. The Candy Ride filly has decimated a pair of fields in succession at the meeting to begin her career and she has yet to be headed in doing so.

LaCombe Wagers

• $8 trifecta key #10 Pink Polkadots with 5,7,8 ($48)
• 50-cent superfecta 10 with 5,7,8 with 5,7,8 with all ($20.50)

The fine prospect went very fast early in her debut offering on December 31 and left little doubt when crossing the line 3 1/2 lengths in front, and in her second start, the bay rated more kindly on the front end and came home a little swifter in posting an identical margin of victory. I can’t find another horse in the cast that can run with her early on, and the outside draw promises that she will avoid any major traffic issues throughout the event, as well. The favorite hails from a fine female line of turf performers and I fully expect her to make it three in a row with Jaime Torres in the silks. 

Getting value with Pink Polkadots to win, or even in the multi-race wagers, will be difficult so I’ll look to the vertical exotics. 

#8 Tipsy Runner (8-1) has been a consistently good late runner in turf sprints on the course at this meeting and seems to me the type who can endure the move to eight furlongs. By Omaha Beach, the Tom Amoss pupil rallied for a creditable second in her first run with winners last time out, and she might be the main danger to the favorite if the distance is to her liking. 

If #7 Pursuit of Liberty (8-1) can show some of the pace that she displayed in her first pair of career outings on the dirt, then I see the Brad Cox trainee sitting a nice voyage and staying on for a share at a good price. The Constitution filly rallied well to ace her first turf test on the same day as the top pick won on her unveiling, and she comes in fresh with Florent Geroux taking the reins. 

And #5 Way to Be Marie (5-1) has to be included with a trio of top-two finishes from three turf routes to date for Rob Atras. This $95,000 daughter of Not This Time was a clear runner-up to the top pick in her latest outing and will be more dangerous late if someone challenges the leader in the early going. Brian Hernandez, Jr. has the call.