Betting a cold exacta in the Richard King Turf Stakes

There are no sure things in the sport of horse racing, but you would be hard-pressed to find a more likely winner of a stakes race on Saturday than #5 Redatory in the $75,000 Richard King Turf S. at Sam Houston Race Park.

On an exciting afternoon of racing, with seven stakes races for Texas-breds on the agenda, Redatory looms as a standout in the Richard King Turf, a 1 1/8-mile grass race that attracted seven entries.

At one time or another, Redatory has beaten every one of his scheduled rivals. He beat four of them with ease in the 1 1/16-mile Houston Turf S. at Sam Houston last month, when he employed pace-tracking tactics to dominate by 4 1/4 lengths.

Redatory has already won the Richard King Turf once before. He claimed the 2019 renewal by a hard-fought neck.

Under the care of trainer Allen Dupuy, Redatory has thrived since he transitioned from dirt to turf. He has won half of his eight starts on the lawn. Tactical speed has been his greatest weapon, which gives the 5-year-old son of Oratory an edge over late-running rivals. As one of just two speed horses entered in the Richard King Turf, Redatory figures to sit a perfect trip under jockey Deshawn Parker, a 24% winner at Sam Houston.

All signs suggest Redatory is ready for another big effort Saturday. The Houston Turf was only his second start of the season, so he should take another step forward third time out. He’s drawn perfectly in post 5, just outside of lone pace rival #4 Sunlit Song, so any way you slice it, Redatory is the horse to beat.

We’ll play Redatory on top of a straight exacta with Sunlit Song underneath. A speedy frontrunner, Sunlit Song finished third in the Houston Turf, after he ran off to a significant early lead. A more relaxed trip could help Sunlit Song close the gap against Redatory, a rival Sunlit Song has defeated on a couple occasions in the past.

$20 exacta: 5 with 4

Good luck!