Tips for handicapping the Beresford Stakes

Handicapping the Beresford (G2) at the Curragh in Ireland has been pretty straightforward. Just bet on runners trained by the internationally acclaimed Aidan O’Brien, and you’re good to go.

O’Brien has won 19 of the last 24 editions of the Beresford, which serves as a European Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race and awards qualifying points to the top four finishers. O’Brien hasn’t lost the Beresford since 2010, in large part because he enters high-class horses in the 1-mile turf test. Future classic winners Capri (2016), Saxon Warrior (2017), and Japan (2018) have all claimed top honors in recent years.

O’Brien has entered three horses to contest the 2020 Beresford, though one appears to rank a cut above the others. #3 High Definition (3-1) is a son of superstar sire Galileo, out of the Group 3-placed mare Palace, which makes the colt a full sibling to O’Brien’s 2019 Beresford winner Innisfree.

A homebred racing for Coolmore connections, High Definition was an impressive debut winner racing a mile at the Curragh on Aug. 22. Reserved at the back of the pack early on, High Definition unleashed an explosive burst of acceleration in the final quarter-mile, when he sliced between rivals to win much easier than his narrow margin of victory suggests.

High Definition looms as the runner to beat in the Beresford. He is heavily favored among British bookmakers and will be very difficult to beat if he improves at all off his eye-catching debut.

The tricky part for bettors will be making a meaningful profit, since High Definition is likely to drop from his 3-1 morning-line odds. We’ll have to pursue the exacta to boost our profits, but who do we use underneath the favorite?

There are plenty of live contenders to consider, but I’ll ride with High Definition’s stablemate #2 Brazil (7-1), a full sibling to Capri.

Though Brazil was beaten in his first two starts, the third time was the charm, as he improved to break his maiden running a mile at the Curragh. Further improvement could be in the offing Saturday, especially since Brazil will race with blinkers for the first time.

$23 to win on #3 High Definition
$7 exacta: 3 with 2
Total: $30

Good luck!