How to bet the 2024 Westchester Stakes

The once-beaten #4 Post Time (1-1) will look to move his 2024 mark to 4-for-4 in Friday’s $175,000 Westchester S. (G3) at Aqueduct. Seven horses in total are signed on for the one-mile contest, and there is a good amount of quality among the entries.

The enigma known as #7 Charge It (3-1) will make his five-year-old debut in the contest and has a tactical edge over the favorite as well as the rest of his foes. A distant fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) to conclude 2023, the gray son of Tapit has posted four bullet morning drills in succession leading up to the race and will be on top early if he races to his workouts.

Charge It can be fantastic when things go his way and erratic when they don’t, but he appears to have landed in an excellent spot for his seasonal debut. The Whisper Hill Farm homebred picked up a Grade 2 victory while keeping exceptional company at four, and he will face a field on Friday that is much more reasonable. The Kentucky-bred has natural early foot and will force the tempo, either on the front end or from up close in second to the turn for home. From there, he will be tough to run down under Kendrick Carmouche. I’m expecting the ‘good’ Charge It to show up.

Post Time rallied for a sharp score in the Carter H. (G2) as the 4-5 betting choice last time out and will be the one to hold off late for conditioner Brittany Russell. This gray son of Frosted possesses a consistently potent turn-of-foot, he obviously likes the surface at Aqueduct, and the four-year-old was also a dominant stakes winner in a lone prior try at today’s distance. The fantastic Maryland-bred will be unhurried in the early going prior to unleashing his late burst with Sheldon Russell on board.

#2 Winit (10-1) has earned all four of his career wins at the distance, and he comes off of a sharp allowance tally over a nice horse on the strip most recently. The Tapit gelding might inherit the lead with a clean break or follow the pace from second with Romero Maragh in the irons. Chad Brown’s #6 Dr Ardito (10-1) dons a 10-6-2-1 mark at Aqueduct and also has six wins at the distance. The strong late runner comes in fresh following a subpar effort in his 2024 debut, and he is a most logical exotics player with Manny Franco in the silks.

Westchester Wagers

• $20 Trifecta: 7 with 4 with 2,6 ($40)
• $5 Trifecta: 7 with 2,6 with 4 ($10)