How to bet With, and Against, Strong Quality in the Tinsel Stakes

A total of seven talented runners will take aim at the $200,000 Tinsel S. at Oaklawn Park on Saturday. The nine-furlong dirt endeavor is led by morning-line choice #2 Strong Quality (5-2) for conditioner Mark Casse. By Quality Road, the four-year-old colt was last seen dominating an off-the-turf allowance field by 9 1/4 lengths for conditioner Mark Casse and could improve in his second run off the break. 

Strong Quality – With

• $4 trifecta 2 with 1,4 with all ($40)
  $6 trifecta 2 with 1,4 ($12)

Strong Quality – Against

• $30 win #1 War Campaign ($30)
• $1 trifecta 1,4 with 1,2,4 with all ($20)

The speedy colt has shown nice improvement since adding blinkers in January and will aim to cap a solid campaign by picking up his initial stakes victory. He is drawn inside the other pace in the race, and if the Kentucky bred is left alone early, then Strong Quality will be difficult to run down late with Florent Geroux retaining the mount. 

#1 War Campaign (4-1) has been training like a horse sitting on a big performance for conditioner Philip Sims and will be a late danger in the tilt. The four-year-old son of Declaration of War was a sharp winner beneath the Twin Spires the last time he competed at 1 1/8 miles, and the colt could surely receive the right pace to rally into on Saturday while saving ground throughout with Emmanuel Esquivel taking the reins for the initial time. 

Pimlico Special S. (G3) runner-up #4 Speed Bias (3-1) comes off a big effort when a neck third in the Fayette S. (G2) at Keeneland in his latest try. This Ron Moquett pupil settles for a lot of minor awards compared to wins, but in his defense, the colt has been facing some talented foes along the way. The Uncle Mo colt has been first or second in four of his six local assignments in advance of this, and the bay also has the gate presence to be in the hunt from the start, as well. If Ramon Vazquez can get the Kentucky bred to settle even a little in the early going, then he will be formidable inside the final furlong.