Betting With, and Against, Pin Up Betty in the Pucker Up Stakes

A total of 10 three-year-old fillies will run 1 1/8 miles on the Ellis Park green in Sunday’s $400,000 Pucker Up S. (G3). The morning-line choice is #6 Pin Up Betty (9-5) for conditioner Mike Maker. By Constitution, the filly made her first start on the lawn in April and has really taken to it. 

Pin Up Betty – With

• $20 exacta 6 with 9 ($20)
• $3 trifecta key 6 with 4,7,9 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta 6 with 4,7,9 with all ($12)

Pin Up Betty – Against

• $15 win and place #9 Mont Saint Michel ($30)
• 50-cent superfecta 9 with 4,6,7 with 4,6,7 with all ($21) 

A daylight maiden heroine at Churchill in May was the result of her second turf engagement, which was followed by a measured victory in the subsequent Regret S. (G3) beneath the Twin Spires. In her latest appearance, the Three Diamonds homebred stayed on for fourth in the Belmont Oaks (G1) at Aqueduct behind a superb top-three finishers, any of which would likely be odds-on in this affair. 

Pin Up Betty has solid tactical speed and a decent turn of foot, and I like that cut back in distance after running 1 3/16 miles in his latest endeavor. Jaime Torres will be in the silks and has come out on top in 4-of-5 tries for Maker as of late. 

I really like the chances of #9 Mont Saint Michel (10-1) in his first offering since adding blinkers. This dark bay daughter of Wootton Bassett is from a nice family of grassy runners and looks to be evolving into one herself. The homebred was a game winner in a big field at Woodbine two back to graduate, and she was last seen checking in fourth in a deceptively deep stakes race at Delaware Park in her latest voyage. 

Mont Saint Michel will likely be in the third flight in the early going and on the backside, prior to rounding into contention nearing the turn for home. Alex Achard will pilot the lightly raced sophomore. 

#7 Mo Fox Givin (7-2) is a stakes veteran who comes off a head second in the Tepin S. at Churchill, and she will be saddled by Mark Casse for the initial time in this one. The Mo Town gray is not a win machine, but she is honest and talented, so a top-three result seems logical if she fires her best shot under Cristian Torres. 

Fellow exotics contender #4 Hello Hollywood (5-1) would surprise me with a win in the race, but she is consistently good and will be in the hunt for a piece late with Jose Ortiz coming in for the ride.