Exacta Bet of the Day for Saturday, July 20 at Monmouth

Exacta Box of the day for Monmouth Park This Saturday at Monmouth is Haskell Invitational Day, the biggest day of the New Jersey racing season featuring six stakes races including the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) for three-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, which will go as Race 12 on the 14-race card. Among the five undercard stakes is the $75,000 Wolf Hill Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint that drew a wide-open eight-horse field. The Wolf Hill (Race 9) is an interesting handicapping puzzle that looks well-suited for an exacta box play, and you should be able to hit it by narrowing the field down to the four top contenders, who may not even be the favorites. Monmouth Race 9 Wolf Hill Stakes Exacta Box Picks: FIG JELLY (#4) (2-1) has landed in the exacta in eight of his 16 lifetime starts, including two of three starts this year. Finished second behind five-furlong turf sprint multiple stakes-winning monster Pure Sensation at Gulfstream Park two races ago, and then did not handle a soft turf course in defeat at Parx Racing last out when fourth behind that same rival. Ready to rebound here for 32% turf sprint trainer Jason Servis with Luis Saez aboard for the mount. TRICKS TO DOO (#5) (5-2) exits a Grade 1 turf sprint spot at Woodbine, where the six-furlong distance that day proved not to be his cup of tea. Back at 5 1/2-furlongs here, however, and this distance seems much more in his wheelhouse based on good stakes efforts at Tampa Bay Downs and Pimlico at this distance. Routinely earns turf dash BRIS Speed figures that put him solidly amongst the top tier in this field. JUSTAHOLIC (#7) (9-2) tried a turf sprint for the very first time in his career last out and made the outing a winning one right here at Monmouth with an easy allowance/optional claiming victory. Stakes-placed on dirt and synthetic tracks, but already seems to be better on grass, so this step up versus stakes competition seems like the logical next step. MAI TY ONE ON (#8) (7-2) goes out for trainer Jane Cibelli, who is enjoying a monster meet at Monmouth with 10 wins from her first 30 starters, and she’ll have a legitimate chance to add to her win total with this hard-knocking veteran sprinter who has been in the exacta in 12 of 21 career starts. Drew the very tough six-furlong inner turf rail post position twice in a row at Belmont Park for the two most recent starts, and now finally gets off the rail and gets 30% Monmouth rider Paco Lopez for the mount. As always, it would be a mistake to underestimate this horse and he’s a tough one to leave out of a four-horse exacta box. Box the above four horses in the exacta boxes, and you should come away with a bankroll-building exacta ticket that will give you some extra money in your pocket you can use to bet the Haskell and the rest of the big Haskell Day card at Monmouth. Best of luck! Wolf Hill Stakes Exacta Box $2 Exacta Box 4, 5, 7, 8 = $24 PHOTO: Monmouth Park (c) Equi-Photo/Bill Denver