How to bet the 2023 Cotillion Stakes

An excellent field of nine three-year-old fillies will travel 1 1/16 miles on the Parx dirt in Saturday’s lucrative $1 million Cotillion S. (G1). 

Cotillion Wagers

• $30 win #2 Ceiling Crusher ($30)
• $2 trifecta 2,3 with 2,3,6 with 2,3,5,6 ($16)
• $.50-cent superfecta 2,3 with 2,3 with 5,6 with all ($12)

The Doug O’Neill-trained #2 Ceiling Crusher (5-1) has been visually impressive in posting five wins from six lifetime races to date leading up to the toughest ask of her career. By Mr. Big, the California-bred filly has decimated her foes in three of her last four assignments, led by a facile stroll in the Torrey Pines S. (G3) at Del Mar most recently. The bargain $22,000 yearling purchase has been excellent in her pair of prior route attempts, and she also looks like controlling speed in the contest, as well. Edwin Maldonado comes in to guide the top pick. 

Godolphin’s #3 Pretty Mischievous (2-1) is the one to beat for trainer Brendan Walsh. The fantastic filly rides in with victories in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), Acorn S. (G1), and Test S. (G1), having proven to be of top quality at various distances along the way. This consistently excellent daughter of Into Mischief shows a 9-7-1-1 career mark and has been well managed this season, as well. The divisional leader will track the pace from a few lengths back early with Tyler Gaffalione retaining the ride. 

A longshot with a lot of appeal to me is #6 Just Katherine (12-1). The Justify filly showed big improvement from a pair of very good runs at Saratoga as of late, and the Kentucky-bred has never been better in advance of Saturday. Trained by Jose Jimenez, the sophomore showed a nice turn of foot at nine furlongs in her latest appearance and will be one to hold off in the lane with another forward move under Junior Alvarado. 

Chad Brown’s #5 Occult (6-1) blitzed her foes while posting a 10-length romp in the Monmouth Oaks (G3) last time out and will be an obvious contender with something resembling that performance. The Into Mischief filly comes in fresh with a nice string of morning drills in the interim, and she gets Irad Ortiz, Jr., in the silks, too.