Exotics Plays for the 2024 Bachelor Stakes

A total of seven sophomores will travel six panels on the Oaklawn Park surface in Saturday’s $200,000 Bachelor S. I’ll look inside for my main selections in the dash.

Bachelor Wagers

• $20 exacta 1 with 2 ($20)
• $10 exacta 2 with 1 ($10)
• 50-cent trifecta 1,2 with 1,2,6 with all ($10)

I’m expecting #2 Frost First (4-1) to be sent from the break as the one to catch in the well-matched field for trainer Brett Creighton. By Frosted, the $100,000 son of Frosted has run his best two races to date when he donned blinkers, and the hood will come back on for Saturday, which I feel is a great move. The colt was no match late for the talented Nash in an allowance tilt going one-mile most recently, but the gray will thrive on the cut back in distance on Saturday from a good post close to the rail. Regular jock Ramon Vazquez will send the three-year-old hard from the break. 

The Brad Cox-trained #1 Bergen (7-2) is my top in the race from off the pace in his return from the layoff. The gray son of Liam’s Map smashed the Jimmy Winkfield S. in January prior to showing little while well backed in the Gotham S. (G3) at Aqueduct last time out. The gray will appreciate both the class relief and cut back in distance against this cast, and he will be moving best of all in the lane with Axel Concepcion in the stirrups. 

Steve Asmussen’s #6 Valentine Candy (5-2) is 3-for-3 on the surface with victories in the Advent S., Renaissance S., and Ozark S. to his credit. The chestnut son of Justify was not the same animal on the synthetic at Turfway Park in his latest appearance, but he will relish the return to the dirt in Hot Springs. Stalker got a perfect post draw and will move into contention prior to the turn for home with Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the silks. If he runs his best, then the colt will not be a surprise, but I fear he might be overbet at post time.