How to bet with, and against, Occult, in the Monmouth Oaks

A well-matched field of 10 sophomore fillies will go postward in the $250,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3) at Monmouth Park on Saturday. One of two in the field for conditioner Chad Brown, #9 Occult (3-1) bagged the Busanda S. to commence her 2023 season at Aqueduct prior to registering a fifth-place run in the Gazelle S. (G3), which preceded a third-place result in the difficult Acorn S. (G1) at Belmont Park most recently.

Occult has a lot of room for improvement with just five lifetime runs to her credit, and the $625,000 yearling purchase seems perfectly suited to this surface and distance after posting some very good morning drills leading up to this affair. The Into Mischief sophomore has a nice cruising speed combined with a solid turn of foot, and she will surely appreciate the class relief in this outing as well. Feargal Lynch will be in the silks and stalking the pace aboard the filly early on.

Todd Pletcher’s #8 Seduction (8-1) finished fourth in the Boiling Springs on the course but will improve in this one as a major contender at a fine morning-line price. This Bernardini filly came home fast in her maiden score at Gulfstream Park second time out and will be dangerous with something resembling that performance on Saturday. The Kentucky-bred three-year-old has posted a pair of useful morning drills on the oval leading up to this endeavor and will have Jose Gomez in the silks for the initial time.

Busher S. queen #7 Shidabhuti (6-1) was a clear second in the local prep for this contest, the Boiling Springs S., and the daughter of Practical Joke rates a big chance in her second off the layoff. The $310,000 yearling purchase dons a 5-3-1-1 lifetime line and could be very good on her best day. She has a good stalking running style that seemingly fits well in here with Hector Diaz, Jr. in the controls.

Delaware Oaks (G3) victress #4 Foggy Night (4-1), Gazelle (G3) heroine #3 Promiseher America (7-2), and Grade 2 winner #5 Vegas Magic (10-1), will also be in my exotics wagers.

Occult – With

$2 superfecta: 9 with 7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8 ($48)

$.50-cent superfecta: 9 with 7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8 with all ($28)

Occult – Against

$.50-cent trifecta: 7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8,9 with all ($40)

$.50-cent trifecta: 7,8 with 3,4,5,7,8,9 with 3,4,5,7,8,9 ($20)

$.20-cent superfecta: 7,8,9,with 7,8,9 with 3,4,5,7,8,9 with 3,4,5,7,8,9 ($14.40)