Other tracks to bet on 2024 Breeders’ Cup Saturday

While the Breeders’ Cup action at Del Mar is doubtlessly the Saturday focus for many bettors, there’s also quality racing taking place at Aqueduct, Churchill Downs, and Gulfstream Park.

The three tracks are hosting seven stakes between them, and we have suggested wagers for each and every one:

Aqueduct

(first post time 11:20 a.m. ET)

Aqueduct is celebrating Breeders’ Cup Saturday with an 11-race card featuring four stakes.

Race 2, the one-mile Nashua S. for juveniles, looks ripe for conquest by #4 It’s Hammertime. The undefeated colt has won the First State Dash S. and Rocky Run S. at Delaware Park with sharp Brisnet Speed ratings of 95 and 97. Champagne (G1) fifth-place finisher #5 Vekoma Rides can complete the exacta while dropping in class.

• $20 exacta: 4 with 5

Race 4 is the Artie Schiller S. taking place over one mile on turf. #5 Running Bee is clearly the horse to beat while dropping in class out of the Turf Mile (G1) at Keeneland, where he finished fourth by 2 1/2 lengths. The son of English Channel boasts wins in the Bernard Baruch S. and Monmouth (G3) on his 2024 record.

#2 Fort Washington, who finished in a dead heat with Running Bee for first place in the Monmouth, can battle with #4 Big Everest to complete the exacta. The latter boasts a 5-for-6 record over the Aqueduct lawn.

• $15 exacta: 5 with 2,4 ($30)

Race 8, the Stewart Manor S. for two-year-old fillies dashing six furlongs on turf, could go the way of #7 Annascaul. She romped in her debut sprinting on grass at Saratoga before finishing sixth in the one-mile Natalma (G1). Cutting back in distance can trigger a turnaround.

• $25 to win on #7 Annascaul

The stakes action wraps up with race 10, the Tempted S. for juvenile fillies racing one mile on dirt. We’ll back #1 Stunner from the red-hot barn of Brad Cox. After finishing second in her debut to the exciting Senza Parole, Stunner crushed a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct by 6 1/4 lengths, earning a sharp 91 Brisnet Speed rating.

• $30 to win on #1 Stunner

Gulfstream Park

(first post time 12:00 p.m. ET)

The 11-race Saturday card at Gulfstream Park is highlighted by two stakes.

The first is race 9, the Armed Forces S. for two-year-olds battling over one mile on turf. Most of the entrants lack grass experience.

An obvious exception is #8 Bridle a Butterfly, who won his debut sprinting over the Gulfstream lawn with an impressive 90 Brisnet Speed rating. He subsequently ran sixth against tougher competition in the $872,500 National Thoroughbred League Juvenile Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs. Returning to the Gulfstream grass can trigger a rebound.

• $20 to win on #8 Bridle a Butterfly

Three-year-olds will negotiate 1 1/16 miles on turf in race 11, the Showing Up S. #5 In a Jam hasn’t missed the exacta in four starts over the Gulfstream turf, and during the summer he placed third against a tough field in the one-mile Secretariat (G2) at Colonial Downs. The Mark Casse trainee looks like a good fit for the Showing Up field.

• $20 to win on #5 In a Jam

Churchill Downs

(first post time 1:00 p.m. ET)

The feature event on Churchill’s 11-race Saturday card is race 10, the Bet on Sunshine S. With a $300,000 purse, the six-furlong dirt dash has drawn a quality field.

#6 Tejano Twist (8-1) won this race last year in his return from a four-month layoff. His 1 1/2-length triumph over a field that included #3 Bango (5-2) kicked off a hot streak, including multiple runner-up finishes at the Grade 3 level.

Tejano Twist has been freshened since finishing fourth in the June 29 Kelly’s Landing S at Churchill, so he’s coming back from another four-month break and will hopefully respond the same way he did last year. At 8-1, we’ll take a shot playing Tejano Twist in the exacta with Bango and #4 Happy Is a Choice (3-1).

• $4 exacta: 6 with 3,4 ($8)
• $6 exacta: 3,4 with 6 ($12)

Good luck!