How to bet the 2023 Clarksville Handicap

A full field of 12 fillies and mares will speed five-eighths on the Horseshoe Indianapolis turf course in Friday’s $100,000 Clarksville H. Conditioner Cherie DeVaux has a pair of live players in the affair, and I will take a shot with #5 Bout Time (12-1) who represents a lot of value in the tilt.

The Not This Time chestnut showed her prowess for the green when breaking her maiden by open lengths on the Fair Grounds lawn in January of 2022, and she followed that tally up with a few impressive grass runs as well. The five-year-old earned her best result when dominating the Goodwood S. at Monmouth Park last summer, prior to going unplaced in her final pair of outings as a four-year-old.

She came back with a decent third in a swiftly run race at Churchill Downs while making her seasonal debut in May, and the Kentucky-bred has posted a trio of morning drills in the interim. I like her chances to track the pace from the second or third flight early, prior to putting in her best run late with Chris Emigh on board.

Carlo Vaccarezza’s #11 Little Jewel (6-1) is a prime win threat with something resembling her fine triumph in the Captive Island S. at Gulfstream Park in March. The gray daughter of Liam’s Map finished unplaced in a pair of demanding spots most recently, but she is a nice fit against this cast and comes in fresh for a solid layoff conditioner. Gabe Saez will guide the five-year-old, who will come from off the pace in the affair.

Chris Block’s #10 Oeuvre (5-2) is a dual-threat win machine with an 11-for-19 career mark. The four-year-old is a multiple stakes heroine sprinting on the lawn and exits a facile black-type triumph on the dirt in her most recent performance. This Illinois-bred chestnut has trained in swift fashion leading up to this endeavor and will be forwardly placed throughout with Orlando Mojica in the stirrups.

I’m not in love with the Brad Cox-trained #2 Goin’ Good (4-1) as a win play, but the stakes veteran is consistently good and rates as an exotics contender at the very least in the dash. The Congrats mare shows a trio of solid stakes runs in the Empire State as of late and could sit a nice trip stalking the early action in the turf sprint on Friday under Fernando de la Cruz.

Clarksville Wagers

$15 win and place: #5 Bout Time ($30)

$.50-cent trifecta: 5,11 with 2,5,10,11 with all ($30)