How to bet the Irish O’Brien Stakes

A field of eight California-bred fillies and mares will dash 6 1/2 furlongs down the Hillside Turf course at Santa Anita in Sunday’s $100,000 Irish O’Brien S. The grassy heat features a pair of runners from the Papaprodromou shedrow, and I feel that each can make a lot of noise in the heat. 

Irish O’Brien Wagers

• $2 trifecta 4,6 with 4,5,6,8 with 4,5,6,8 ($24)
• 50-cent trifecta 4,6 with 4,5,6,8 with all ($18)

#4 Sneaker has compiled an 8-3-2-1 mark at Santa Anita and will cut back in distance for her first try at this unique distance with Frankie Dettori in the silks. The hard-knocking daughter of Oscar Performance was a game runner-up in an tough open allowance tilt going eight panels in advance of this and will be forwardly placed in her first outing since November following some nice local drills as of late. She will be a major player if she takes to the distance. 

#6 Shocking Grey rallied for an upset score in the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf Sprint at the trip last time and has since been moved to the Papaprodromou barn. The six-year-old daughter of Grazen loves this venue with an 8-3-2-2 career mark locally, and she has also won or placed in each of her three tries at the trip, as well. The Cal-bred mare is a lightly raced six-year-old with room for improvement, and I expect her to put in a similar type of performance on Sunday with Antonio Fresu taking the reins.

Two-time stakes heroine #5 Pushiness will make just her second try on the sod but has a ton of ability and rates a big chance with her best effort in this heat. By Kantharos, the four-year-old has won or placed in all but one career endeavor in advance of her return off the shelf, and she could surely be the one if she appreciates the surface change under fine turf pilot Umberto Rispoli. 

I don’t love the win chances of #8 Moment’s Pleasure with Flavien Prat aboard, but the talented daughter of Clubhouse Ride is surely an exotics contender, nonetheless. The four-year-old is consistently solid and will thrive on the cutback from nine panels to this trip from an advantageous outside draw.