Aqueduct: How to bet the 2022 Demoiselle Stakes

Seven sophomore fillies will trek 1 1/8 miles on the Aqueduct dirt in Saturday’s $250,000 Demoiselle S. (G2). I came away very impressed with a pair of debut winners in the field and will focus my plays in the Road to the 2023 Kentucky Oaks event around that duo.

Demoiselle Wagers

• $30 win: #2 Royal Spa ($30)
• $10 exacta: box 2-3 ($20)
• $5 trifecta: 2, 3 with 2, 3 with 7 ($10)

#2 Royal Spa (5-1) overcame both a wide post and poor start to graduate at first asking at Churchill Downs on November 18, and I have a lot of interest in the Violence homebred going forward. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Royal Spa took some money in her initial offering to hint that she had been training well, and the dark bay ran down a clear one late like a horse with a promising future.

The Breffni Farm color bearer comes back on relatively short rest which I view as a positive, and she will be much closer to the early tempo on Saturday from an advantageous inner post slot. Joel Rosario will guide the filly who seems well suited to handle route racing.

#3 Julia Shining (3-5) was one of the more eye-catching maiden winners at the recent Keeneland meeting. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the sister to exquisite champion Malathaat showed little interest early on in her seven-furlong debut, but more than made up for it when powering home with a sustained run through the wire, earning a robust 99 Brisnet Late Pace number in the process.

The Curlin filly comes in fresh and has posted four solid morning breezes in advance of her stakes bow. She should show more early interest in the tilt with Luis Saez retaining the mount.

#7 Tribal Queen (20-1) has exotics appeal as the likely pacesetter in the cast for trainer Anthony Dutrow. By Bolt d’Oro, Tribal Queen has flashed considerable sprint speed in each of her three races to date, and I expect her to cross over from the outer post to take the edge soon after the break on Saturday.

Eric Cancel will be in the stirrups atop the $140,000 yearling purchase who might get brave if left alone for too long up top. And the price will be right, too.