How to bet the Dade Park Dash Stakes

A total of seven sophomores will sprint 5 1/2 panels on the Ellis Park lawn in Saturday’s $100,000 Dade Park Dash S. I have an affinity for Proud Man S. stakes victor #1 Mounsieur Coco (7-2) and expect him to run a big one from the rail. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, the $85,000 yearling purchase was fourth on debut in July on the dirt at Gulfstream Park but showed marked improvement in his next two showings, both on the synthetic.

The son of Bold d’Oro graduated in style on Aug. 20 with a 6 1/2-length romp, and he followed that effort up with a convincing stakes score in the Proud Man, going clear by 4 1/2 lengths under the wire. Bred in the Bluegrass State, the colt traveled to Keeneland for his turf debut in the Indian Summer S. in October and finished a decent fifth while facing a deep cast. He concluded his two-year-old campaign with an unplaced stakes try, but the bay has trained well leading up to this assignment and looms large with a clean break from the gate. Martin Chuan will be in the stirrups.

I’ll focus on a pair of contenders to challenge for the exotics, including #7 Midnight Taxes (3-1). Trained by Bret Calhoun, the bay son of Midnight Lute has been in solid form in 2023, and while he is unplaced from a pair of prior races on the weeds, the gelding has seven turf-winning siblings and deserves another look on the surface. This Arkansas-bred bay possesses fine gate speed and could sit a good voyage from the outside draw with Mitchell Murrill in the controls.

The stakes-winning #5 Release McCraken (2-1) has yet to race over the lawn but has a pair of siblings that excelled on it, and this barn is more than capable when putting one on the green for the initial time. The McCraken gelding had won three races in succession before checking in fourth behind the peaking Ryvit in the Bachelor S. at Oaklawn Park most recently, and the Kentucky-bred has posted four solid morning moves in the interim. The $125,000 auction purchase will be forwardly placed from the opening bell under Francisco Arrieta.

Dane Park Dash Wagers

$30 win: #1 Mounsieur Coco ($30)

$2 trifecta: 1 with 5,7 with all ($20)