How to bet the Garland of Roses Stakes

A talented field of eight fillies and mares will jaunt six panels on the Aqueduct dirt in Sunday’s $135,000 Garland of Roses S. #8 Kant Hurry Love missed by a neck in the affair last season, and I will use the five-year-old as my key runner in the dash. 

Garland of Roses Plays

$1.50 superfecta key 8 with 2,4,6,7 ($36)

50-cent superfecta 2,4,6,7 with 8 with 2,4,6,7 with 2,4,6,7 ($12)

Trained by David Duggan, the consistently good daughter of Kantharos has won or placed in a fine 19 of 22 lifetime tries to date, with 11 of those top-three finishes occurring on the Aqueduct main oval. The Empire State-bred had a very good 2023 campaign but has made only a trio of appearances this year, led by her defending her title in the Dancin Renee S. on the surface in June 23. 

Kant Hurry Love has posted six solid morning drills since the middle of October to prepare for her return, and the bay will be fresh and ready for this assignment from an outside post that will be to her benefit. She zipped a bullet three panels in her latest breeze and picks up pilot Romero Maragh for this journey. The mare will track the pace from the second flight while always in the clear. 

I’ll use a quartet of runners with my top pick for the vertical exotics in the well-matched group. Distaff S. (G3) runner-up #2 Ain’t Broke, one of two in the lineup for conditioner Linda Rice, has won or placed in five of six since being claimed by this barn, each of which has come at Aqueduct. The Dialed In mare makes her first run since the spring but was a sharp winner the last time he ran off the bench, and the Kentucky-bred will be in the hunt with something resembling her best beneath Eric Cancel. 

#4 Autumn Evening, fourth in the Victory Ride (G3) and Prioress S. (G3) earlier in the season, puts the blinkers back on following an allowance triumph and also cuts back in distance, too. The Malibu Moon sophomore will have Kendrick Carmouche on board. 

The well-bred #6 Ellen Jay has won a trio of grassy races in succession led by a victory in the Glen Cove S. on this lawn in October. This Brad Cox pupil wasn’t great on the main oval in her first pair of races to begin her career, but I can’t omit the in-form filly with Flavien Prat taking the reins. 

#7 Mystic Pleasure came home second in the Dream Supreme S. at Churchill Downs in her latest showing and is an obvious win threat with Florent Geroux riding. The Rudolphe Brisset charge will be forcing the action from the opening bell.