How to bet the 2023 LaCombe Memorial Stakes

A total of eight three-year-old fillies will travel one mile on the Fair Grounds green in Saturday’s $75,000 Allen Black Cat LaCombe Memorial. I believe that a solid case can be made for nearly every horse in the competitive betting affair, and I will spread my plays around with a few of the contenders.

#8 Girl Named Charlie (5-1), one of two in the race for conditioner Tom Amoss, gets the slight nod to win. The dark bay filly has put in her best two efforts when racing on the green, led by a fine maiden victory on the surface in her latest venture. Maclean’s Music three-year-old is from a nice family of turf performers and seems ready for her first try against winners in a stakes field lacking a true standout.

The Kentucky-bred possesses a fine turn of foot, and she lands in a field where numerous entrants like to be involved from the start. I don’t expect the pace to be rapid, but it should be solid and contested, which will aid this one as the field approaches the turn for home. Edgar Morales will be in the irons.

I find it very interesting that pilot Florent Geroux will guide #7 Beyond Doubt (6-1) instead of her more fancied stablemate (#1 Chop Chop) in the contest. By Arrogate, the $175,000 yearling purchase was a debut winner on the turf three back, and the Kentucky-bred comes off a solid try when second in an allowance outing over a good turf surface here most recently. The gray has good tactical speed, and she will get the jump on the deeper closers turning for home at a solid price.

Mike Stidham’s #3 Hang the Moon (4-1) has improved her Brisnet Speed figure in each lifetime run to date, and the daughter of Malibu Moon looked the part when posting a fine allowance victory while making her first run on the sod most recently. Uncle Mo sophomore comes in fresh for this one off four good morning drills, and she will be difficult to fend off in the lane if she moves forward off her latest venture. The bay will settle from off the early tempo before being asked for her best run late by pilot Brian Hernandez Jr.

LaCombe Memorial Wagers

• $10 win and place #8 Girl Named Charlie ($20)
• $3 exacta box 3,7,8 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta 3,7,8 with 3,7,8 with all ($18)