Aqueduct: How to bet the 2023 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes

A compact field of five three-year-olds will vie in Saturday’s $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield S. The six-furlong dirt dash attracted a few nice youngsters, and I will side with recent maiden winner #5 Clubhouse (5-2) to earn his initial stakes win.

By Speightstown, the $425,000 yearling purchase raced over the lawn in his first trio of lifetime tries before moving to the main oval in his fourth start. The chestnut showed an affinity for the surface when coming home a good third in a maiden special weight tilt in November, finishing just one length behind nice prospect Litigate in the process. He didn’t handle the sloppy going in his subsequent performance, but the Kentucky-bred romped in his latest venture in his first run with Lasix, driving home a 6 1/2-length winner while being geared down late.

Clubhouse has posted a pair of maintenance morning drills in the interim, and the colt figures to receive a perfect trip forcing the pace while always clear from the outer post slot, as well. John Velazquez will be in the stirrups atop the leading selection.

#3 Kool Kathmandu (7-2), a $25,000 weanling purchase, rolled home a facile maiden winner in his second career appearance for conditioner Charlton Baker. The son of Frosted has flashed big early foot in each of his pair of outings to date, and he closed with fine energy over a sloppy, sealed surface in his latest engagement in December. The gray gelding will be fit and ready following a handful of morning spins in preparation of his stakes debut, and the Kentucky-bred might be the speed of the field, too. I expect Dylan Davis to put the win threat on the lead shortly after the break.

The James Chapman-trained #4 Drew’s Gold (2-1) is 2-for-2 to commence his career and wouldn’t be a surprise while making his black-type bow on Saturday. The dark bay Violence colt was sharp at first asking at Churchill Downs in May, and he came off the extended break to ease past allowance foes at Laurel Park in January. Bred in the Bluegrass State, the Triple Crown-nominated sophomore will track the early pace prior to being asked for his best by Jose Gomez.

Jimmy Winkfield Wagers

• $30 exacta: 5 with 3 ($30)
• $10 exacta: 5 with 4 ($10)