How to bet the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship Stakes

The $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Championship S. attracted a competitive group in what is surely an attractive betting option on the Saturday card. A case can be made for the majority of the 10 that drew into the main body of the field, and I feel inclined to use multiple runners in my ambitious play. 

Turf Championship Wager

$.50-cent superfecta 4,5 with 4,5,6,9 with 4,5,6,9 with all ($42)

#5 Outlaw Kid ran a good one in the Nearctic S. (G2) when leading into the stretch before being tiring late before ultimately fourth, and the Ontario-bred will relish the return to a surface where he dons a 3-2-1-0 lifetime line. The Violence gelding is a six-time winner on the grass and has been consistently good in 2024 with a handful of top-two finishes from six seasonal starts. The dark bay five-year-old might have made his move a bit too early last time and I expect him to be more patient on Saturday. He drilled a bullet on the lawn leading up to this and receives a healthy rider upgrade to Flavien Prat. 

The Elizabeth Marryman-trained #4 Jean Valjean is the inside pace of the race and merits a lot of respect under Julio Hernandez. This Uncle Lino chestnut was moved to the lawn in June and streaked home to clear wins in three straight tussles, including a stakes tilt at Penn National over yielding ground. The Keystone State-bred missed the break and was outrun in a deep allowance tilt on the green at Keeneland most recently, but I expect him to break well from the gate and lead the way from the early stages on this day. He will need a lifetime best to fend off a slew of runners late, but the gelding might be up to the task at a fair price. 

#6 Alogon was third in the race in 2023 and comes off of a solid third-place showing in the Belmont Turf Sprint Championship S. (G3) in his latest run. Trained by Edward Allard, the son of California Chrome has good gate presence and figures to track the pace from second or third early on, giving him first run on the deeper closing types in the stretch. The five-year-old chestnut is far from a win machine, but he looks like a very good exotics option with Irad taking the reins for the initial time. 

#9 Senbei is an obvious inclusion coming off a Grade 3 tally on the oval in his latest run for Christophe Clement. This Candy Ride gelding has been good since moving to the sod, and while I fear that he might have too much to do turning for home, I will still use the New York-bred with Manny Franco riding.