Aqueduct: How to bet the 2024 Bay Ridge Stakes

A dozen New York-bred fillies and mares will travel one mile on the dirt in Friday’s $100,000 Bay Ridge S. at Aqueduct. The deep field features numerous viable contenders in the one-turn affair, and I will seek value with my wagers in the ultra-competitive contest. 

Bay Ridge Wagers

• $10 win and place #7 Sweet Brown Sugar ($20)
• $3 exacta key box 7 with 1,6,11 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta box 1,6,7,11 ($12)

Bay Ridge Stakes Betting Analysis

Paul Barrow’s #7 Sweet Brown Sugar (8-1) comes off a pair of dominant wins at Finger Lakes and has also run well on this surface in the past, evidenced by her four-length romp in the East View S. in March. The Collected sophomore will face a strong cast of her elders in the dash, but her form is excellent, and I think that she stacks up well in the endeavor. The bay has very good gate presence, but she can win from off the early tempo too, and the lass will have Jose Lezcano in the silks. 

#6 Silver Skillet (7-2) cuts back in distance and will also go from turf to dirt for Christophe Clement. The four-year-old daughter of Liam’s Map has won or placed in each of her quartet of local runs leading up to this one, and the gray also possesses the early foot to be well placed from the initial stages. Kendrick Carmouche will pilot the filly and have her in the hunt from the opening bell. 

The Bill Mott-trained #11 Sterling Silver (9-5) is arguably the class of the field and dons a smart 10-4-2-3 mark at Aqueduct. The Cupid five-year-old was last seen coming home a nose second in the Empire Distaff S. on the course and will retreat from that 1 1/8-mile affair today back to a preferred voyage. The mare was a 9 3/4-length vixen at the trip at Saratoga three back, and her best performance will find her challenging for the win late. 

#1 Stonewall Star (8-1) lost all chance at the break in the Go For Wand S. (G3) on this oval most recently, but she is much better than she showed on the day and has exotics appeal to me from the rail. Trained by Horacio de Paz, the Flatter four-year-old is a four-time victress at Aqueduct from eight local showings, and she has the right running style to receive a nice trip throughout from the fence as well. Dylan Davis inherits the mount.