How to bet the 2024 The Very One Stakes

An overflow field of 13 fillies and mares will dash five-eighths on the Pimlico lawn in Friday’s $100,000 The Very One S. This is not the deepest field ever assembled and I will go with morning-line favorite #4 Kaufymaker (2-1) to notch her well-deserved first stakes victory. 

The Very One Wagers

• $5 trifecta key 4 with 1,7,8 ($30)
• $1 trifecta 4 with 1,7,8 with all ($30)

Trained by Wesley Ward, the five-year-old daughter of Jimmy Creed has been a strong turf dasher dating back to her juvenile season, where she finished third by a length in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) while facing the boys. She has been lightly raced since 2021 with just five appearances to her credit, although three of those have resulted in big allowance scores. 

Kaufymaker doesn’t need the lead in order to win, but she is plenty quick and will be forwardly placed throughout this event under John Velazquez. I feel that the chestnut is simply too good for her foes, and if she goes off at anything close to her morning-line price, then that seems generous to me. 

I’ll key the mare on top of a trio of runners for the vertical exotics. #8 All That Magic (5-1) will make her 2024 debut on this occasion and surely makes sense to me. The Fast Anna five-year-old is a turf sprint stakes heroine who concluded last season with a third at Aqueduct, and the mare can run from up close or from off of the pace, as well. Luis Saez will ride. 

Stakes victress #7 Bosserati (15-1) has shown marked improvement since moving to the green four back and is 2-for-2 on the course for Brittany Russell. The Holy Boss four-year-old is especially swift from the gate and will get a nice trip likely on the flank of the top pick throughout. 

I’m not in love with #1 Queen of the Mud (3-1), and I am also not a fan of her rail post, but it would be foolish to omit the Graham Motion trainee. The Kodiac four-year-old captured the last two races of her juvenile campaign in turf sprints, and this outfit does some of its best work off of the layoff, too. Flavien Prat riding adds to the appeal.