Belmont Park starts their fall meet this week. Santa Anita Park should start their short fall meet, but the Bobcat Fire has forced the City of Arcadia to turn San Anita into a shelter. We’ll see how things develop. For now, let’s add Santa Anita’s graded stakes race on Saturday onto our Top Stakes Races for The Week blog. Check out top plays and Horse Racing Odds for the Top Stakes Races of the Week from Saturday, September 19 to Sunday, September 20. You can also visit our Online Racebook to place your bets on active racetracks.
Horse Racing Odds & Picks for Top Stakes Races of the Week ( Sept. 14th)
Top Stakes Races for The Week
- When: Saturday, Sep. 19 – Sunday, Sep. 20
Saturday, Sep. 19 Horse Races
Woodbine Racetrack
- Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes – 1 ¼ Miles Turf – $125,000
- Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile – 1 Mile Turf – $1,000,000
The Singspiel Stakes should be a competitive race. Don’t expect a Breeders’ Cup horse to emerge from the event. But, it should be a wonderful race to handicap.
Do expect a couple of BC Mile contenders to emerge from the Woodbine Mile on Saturday. The Ricoh Woodbine Mile is one of the signature turf events of the year. Tepin won the race in 2016, World Approval in 2017, and Oscar Performance in 2018. Last year’s winner, El Tormenta, has yet to get on track this year. Could Tormenta use the Woodbine Mile as the get on track race?
Belmont Park
- Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational – 1 ¼ Miles Turf – $250,000
Belmont rescheduled the Oaks Invitational from July to September. Last year, Concrete Rose won the Oaks Invitational. The George Arnold trainee is now one of the top ranked four-year old turf runners in North America. Will this year’s Oaks Invitational produce a star?
Santa Anita Park
- Grade 3 Chillingworth Stakes – 6 ½ Furlongs Dirt – $100,000
Hopefully, if Santa Anita Park doesn’t remain a shelter for those affected by the Bobcat Fire, the Great Race Place runs the Chillingworth Stakes on Saturday. Seven horses have shown interest in running in the Chillingworth: Hang A Star, Mother of Dragons, Into Chocolate, Zusha, Biddy Duke, Unique Factor, and Amuse. Richard Mandella trained Amuse could go off the chalk. She finished second in the Grade 3 Rancho Bernardo Handicap in her last.
Sunday, Sep. 20 Horse Races
Woodbine Racetrack
- Grade 1 Natalma Stakes – 1 Mile Turf – $250,000
- Grade 1 Summer Stakes – 1 Mile Turf – $250,000
Both Grade 1 races at Woodbine on Sunday are for 2-year-old grass runners. The Natalma Stakes is for 2-year-old grass running fillies. The Summer Stakes is for 2-year-old grass running colts. In 2019, Abscond won the Natalma Stakes while Walk in Marakesh finished second. Terrific grass runner Decorated Invader won the 2019 Summer Stakes. Cadet Connelly finished second.
Monmouth Park
- Grade 3 Salvatore Mile – 1 Mile Dirt – $150,000
One of the top handicap horses in American probably won’t run in the 2020 Salvatore Mile. However, second tier older dirt horses, like Sunny Ridge, Diamond King, and Bal Harbour, will. Those three ran 1-2-3 in last year’s Salvatore Mile.
Santa Anita Park
- Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup – 1 ½ Miles Dirt – $100,000
Seven horses are probable for the 1 ½ miles Tokyo City Cup: Shortlist, Mirinaque, Muralist, Tizamagician, Potantico, Cupid’s Claw, and Combatant. Of the possible entrants, Combatant may get the most looks. But, that’s because he’s run in graded races this year. No horse deserves to go off at underlay odds in the Tokyo City Cup.
