How to bet the 2022 Sands Point Stakes

A strong field of sophomore fillies will vie in the $200,000 Sands Point S. (G2) at Aqueduct on Saturday. Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) queen #9 Pizza Bianca will make her first run since a failed attempt in the Coronation S. (G1) at Royal Ascot in June and is the one to beat in the affair, but I will aim to knock her off while searching for better value.

Conditioner Chad Brown will saddle stakes vixen #3 Eminent Victor in the affair and I will give her the narrow edge with Manny Franco in the silks. By Mr Z, the three-year-old filly bagged the Wild Applause S. at Belmont Park in her 2022 bow, and followed that up with a huge runner-up effort in the Lake George S. (G3) at Saratoga when falling just a nose short behind Dolce Zel.

In her latest endeavor, the Kentucky-bred was an even fifth in the especially competitive Lake Placid S. (G2) at The Spa, and I expect her to show marked improvement on Saturday. The chestnut shows six perfectly spaced morning drills in advance of the affair and will be as fit as any contender in the field. She will save ground before proving best inside the final furlong.

Pizza Bianca is an obvious must use in the top three for trainer Christophe Clement. The classy Fastnet Rock filly possesses a big turn of foot, and she finished a very good second on the course while making her seasonal debut in April. The Bobby Flay homebred rates as the one to hold off later with regular pilot Jose Ortiz taking the reins. She will be well off the pace early while making her first run at 1 1/8 miles.

I had a hard time trying to separate the other contenders in the field, so I will use the ‘all’ button in the lower rungs of my exotics wagers.

• $30 exacta: 3 with 9 ($30)
• $2 trifecta: 3, 9 with 3, 9 with all ($28)
• 20-cent superfecta: 3, 9 with 3, 9 with all with all ($16.80)