2013 Breeders’ Cup Friday Betting Preview Part 7

Royal Delta, who walloped the field in this race last year, didn’t have the perfect year that many were hoping for after losing in the Dubai World Cup, being beaten in the Grade 2 Fleur De Lis and then being outrun soundly by Princess of Sylmar in the Beldame about a month ago. The match-up prompted Princess of Sylmar’s connections to supplement her into the race and opt to move forward with a horse of the year campaign for her. 

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE BET WITH BETFRED!

Royal Delta will have Mike Smith back in the irons once again and she loves to win on that Santa Anita surface but some really are questioning whether Princess of Sylmar is the superior female and, quite possibly, the best horse running in America right now. The general reasoning amongst American racing observers is that Princess of Sylmar is the horse of the year if she beats Royal Delta in this race. 

Royal Delta can be backed at a 2/1 price tag with most major bookmakers. 

Princess of Sylmar rocketed onto the American racing scene when she captured the Kentucky Oaks over Beholder - but it was her next race - when she won the Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont, that people really started to stand up and take notice of how truly talented this three-year-old filly really might be. Since losing the Grade 2 Gazelle to Close Hatches back in April, she has gone undefeated in four races and will now ship to California as the clear 9/4 second choice. This is not really a race to bet ante post unless you are putting together an accumulator as she might be higher than 9/4 on the day - or lower than Royal Delta if she puts in a fantastic pre-race appearance. 

Beholder is the local ace who has put in an excellent series of runs after being freshened following her second place finish in the Kentucky Oaks. Since pairing up with Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, the two of them have won at Santa Anita and Del Mar - capturing the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes last time out and putting in a smashing 106 speed figure - which is her second highest ever recorded. She is emerging as wiseguy play for many but haas every right to be where she is with a 3/1 ante post price tag. 

The other one to keep your eye on here is Juddmonte’s Close Hatches who is a genuine shout to win this race even though she is only trading at a 6/1 margin and looks lukewarm on the market. This is a talented three-year-old filly who is getting better with every race and looks to be coming into form at just the right time. She underperformed seriously in the Kentucky Oaks to finish 7th well off the pace and then could only muster a second place performance in the Grade 1 Acorn. She was given a one-month break and then reappeared at Belmont Park to smoke the Grade 1 Mother Goose by a seven and a half length margin with a career high 102 figure. 

If Close Hatches can conjure up that performance again - she has every chance of beating the other fillies in this race. She is versatile with the ability to race on the lead or just off of it. She demonstrated a quality tracking trip in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx racing following a 3 month freshening to triumph by two lengths.