Best value plays for the Regret Stakes on May 29

A total of nine three-year-old fillies will vie in Saturday’s $150,000 Regret S. (G3) at Churchill Downs. The 1 1/8-mile turf test lacks a standout and appears to be a very good betting endeavor. A pair of runners appeal to me, and I will base my plays around the duo in the verticals.

Conditioner Cherie DeVaux will saddle two in the event, led by recent allowance victress #7 Gam’s Mission. The Lazy F Ranch homebred raced once as a juvenile and finished a creditable second to eventual Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) star Aunt Pearl. She returned in March at Fair Grounds for her seasonal debut and impressed with a late-running tally going 1 1/16 miles on the turf over a next-out graduate.

Gam’s Mission came back on May 8 beneath the Twin Spires for her initial encounter with winners and again drove home late to win, getting up late despite having to rally into a modest early tempo. The Noble Mission filly drilled a solid half-mile at Keeneland in preparation for her stakes debut, and she will be tough to hold off late with an expected forward move on Saturday. Adam Beschizza will be in the stirrups.

Graham Motion’s #1 Oyster Box draws the rail for her local debut and looms large in her third appearance of the season. Chestnut daughter of Tapit is from a rich family of top turf performers and has run pretty well in each of her four races to date while facing stern competition in her last two.

Oyster Box rallied to be third in the Florida Oaks (G3) behind a fine top pair two back. Last out, she made a big middle move before being outrun late when fourth in the recent Memories of Silver S. at Aqueduct. The Kentucky-bred figures to receive a more favorable pace scenario to work with on Saturday, and the rail draw seems ideal for her running style, as well. Filly has been training swiftly in advance of her second graded attempt.

Beyond my top two selections, I have a hard time separating the rest of the cast, so I will include each contender in the additional rungs of my exotics tickets.

Regret Wagers

• $10 exacta box 1-7 ($20)
• $1 trifecta 1,7 with 1,7 with all ($14)
• $1 trifecta 1,7 with all with 1,7 ($14)
• 50-cent trifecta all with 1,7 with 1,7 ($7)