How to bet the Mistletoe Stakes

The feature of the 10-race card at Oaklawn Park on Saturday is the $150,000 Mistletoe S. Grade 2 vixen #7 Taxed (8-5) is the one to beat in the affair and she seems well spotted to earn her first tally since May. Trained by Randy Morse, the gray daughter of Collected has been mostly consistent in her career and comes off a third-place run behind the talented Two Sharp in the Chilukki S. (G3) at Churchill Downs in her latest assignment. 

Mistletoe Wagers

• $12 exacta key 7 with 4,5 ($24)
• $6 trifecta key 7 with 4,5 ($12)

Bred in the Bluegrass State, the stalker is a winner on the surface and will benefit from having speed drawn to her inside under Christian Torres. Taxed will likely track the tempo from the second flight in the early going while in the clear, prior to being asked for her winning run approaching the turn for home. She’s not a great price, but I do feel that we can get some value in the vertical exotics, however. 

#4 Stellar Lily (8-1) was through early in her return off the bench in a sprint over sloppy going at Churchill Downs most recently, but that was a useful prep leading up to today for conditioner Ron Moquett. The Speightster four-year-old is a dual winner on the course with good gate presence, and she registered a trio of solid allowance races on the surface earlier this season too. Rafael Bejarano has the riding assignment and will have the filly challenging for the lead from the start. 

#5 Corningstone (3-1) has never hit the board from a trio of prior engagements at Oaklawn, and she burned a lot of money when upended at Indiana most recently, but the recent $275,000 purchase has a lot of talent and figures to be a contender late for Kenny McPeek. The daughter of Kantharos can be pretty good on her best day, and I feel that she will get a nice trip from a bit off of the early tempo to the top of the stretch, as well. Julien Leparoux will be in the controls atop the capable four-year-old.