Stakes spot pays for Preakness Day undercard

Picks and plays on a $100 budget for the Preakness Day undercard stakes races at Pimlico.

Race 5: Miss Preakness (G3, 1:22 p.m. ET)

#5 Mundaye Call (7-5) got burned up in a duel for the lead through blazing fractions in the Eight Belles (G2), but she previously crushed the 7-furlong Audubon Oaks by 7 1/4 lengths, with a 107 Brisnet Speed rating.

A more relaxed journey in the 6-furlong Miss Preakness should return Mundaye Call to the winner’s circle at a short price.

#3 Fly On Angel (8-1), the gutsy frontrunning winner of the Charles Town Oaks (G3), can round out the exacta for hot trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

$20 exacta: 5 with 3

Race 8: Laurel Futurity (3:22 p.m. ET)

#6 Arrest Me Red (6-1) made a strong impression in his debut sprinting on turf at Laurel Park, where he swept from a tracking position to romp by 4 1/2 lengths.

A stoutly bred son of Pioneerof the Nile, out of a Medaglia d’Oro mare, Arrest Me Red finished fast over a good course and should have no trouble stretching out over 1 1/16 miles.

Trainer Arnaud Delacour wins at a 35% rate with horses running long for the first time, so let’s bet Arrest Me Red to win, single him in a double, and play him in the exacta. with #3 Wootton Asset (9-2) and #8 Hidden Enemy (4-1) underneath.

$20 to win on #6 Arrest Me Red
$3 exacta: 6 with 3,8 ($6)
$4 double: 6 with 9
Total: $30

Race 9: James W. Murphy (4:02 p.m. ET)

#9 Monday Morning Qb (8-1) has never run on grass, but as a son of Grade 1-winning turf router Imagining, he is bred to handle the surface switch.

Monday Morning Qb showed significant promise in the winter, when he made a big rally after a troubled start in the 1 1/8-mile Withers (G3) and flattened out to finish fourth, behind Preakness (G1) contender Max Player.

Monday Morning Qb recently returned from a seven-month layoff to finish second in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio S., where he weakened only slightly to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind the undefeated Happy Saver.

I’m optimistic Monday Morning Qb will find the competition a bit easier in the James W. Murphy, and the cut back to a mile should suit him perfectly.

$20 to win on #9 Monday Morning Qb

Race 10: Black-Eyed Susan (G2, 4:41 p.m. ET)

#5 Bonny South (7-5) won the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March and most recently rallied to finish second in a strong renewal of the Alabama (G1).

The Alabama form has been flattered in recent weeks by the other superfecta players. The victorious Swiss Skydiver returned to finish second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), third-place runner Harvey’s Lil Goil was narrowly beaten in the Dueling Grounds Oaks, and fourth-place finisher Envoutante recently won the Remington Park Oaks (G3).

The late-running Bonny South brings the best form lines into the Black-Eyed Susan, and I’ll be surprised if she fails to produce a winning rally.

Let’s bet her in a double with Preakness (G1) favorites #3 Art Collector and #9 Authentic.

$15 double: 5 with 3,9 ($30)

Good luck!