John Battaglia Memorial Odds & Cincinnati Trophy Picks

Gilmore at Turfway Park

There are two fantastic races this Saturday, March 4th at Turfway Park in the form of the Cincinnati Trophy and John Battaglia Memorial. Both are signature races on the Turfway Park calendar and should be competitive affairs.

The Cincinnati Trophy is the final prep race ahead of this year’s Kentucky Oaks and a field of nine has been declared.

In what could be a brilliant race, one of the form horses looking to make her mark will be former Grade 3 winner Fun And Feisty. A winner of the Pocahontas Stakes last year, this will be her first run as a three-year-old and she will be wanting to get her season off to the perfect start here.

Thirteen have been declared for the John Battaglia Memorial which will act as one of the last prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Scoobie Quando will be looking to back up his win at Turfway Park from earlier in the season and prove he could be an outsider for the Derby. Brad Cox saddles two in the race with American Speed and Aristocracy expected to be in the final shakeup.

Cincinnati Trophy

One mile, Dirt, open to three-year-old fillies. Total prize pool $150,000

One of the best races across America on Saturday promises to be the Cincinnati Trophy. Nine horses all have exciting pedigrees and this race offers the last chance to gain qualification into the Kentucky Oaks.

Fun And Fiesty for Kenny McPeak is one of the most obvious betting angles and she will be looking to build upon her success in the Grade 3 Pocahontas Stakes last season.

Although that win offers some of the very best forms on offer, she has been disappointed in each of her last two starts, finishing eighth in the Alcibiades and third in the Rags to Riches. With an almost four-month layoff, many will believe she is beatable.

One horse looking to serve it up Fun And Fiesty will be the Brad Cox-trained Botanical. A frequent runner at Turfway Park, she has won her last two starts at the track by a margin of 15 lengths. Although she takes a step up in class here, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her run a big race.

Four runners return for a rematch of the Valdale Stakes.

The race was won that day by B G Warrior who secured the victory at a massive price of 40/1.

A gutsy winner from gate to wire, reopposing rivals Tammy Tap Tap Tap, Moon Magic Chrissy, and Jitterbug Jill are unlikely to let B G Warrior get too far ahead this time.

The worry for B G Warrior was she looked flat out at the end of the Valdale and she could be there for the taking against some better horses here if she tries to win this contest in a similar style.

As for Tammy Tap Tap Tap, Moon Magic Chrissy, and Jitterbug Jill, they all finished a fair way behind B G Warrior and will need to find some serious improvements if they are to have a say in proceedings.

Bulsara has won two of her five starts and did finish 5th in the Grade 3 Sweetest Chant Stakes. She is another who will need to step up from her recent performances if she is to compete in this contest.

Cincinnati Trophy Odds & Betting Pick

Horse Jockey Odds by Jazzsports
Miss Peabody Fernando De La Cruz +1500
Ladan Tyler Heard +3000
Botanical Chris Landeros +160
Bulsara Gerardo Corrales +300
Tammy Tap Tap Tap Declan Cannon +1000
Moon Magic Chrissy Rogelio Miranda +3000
B G Warrior David J. Haldar +1200
Jill Jitterbug Emmanuel Esquivel +1500
Fun and Feisty Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. +350
Despite a field of nine being entered for the race, a few of these arrive with plenty to prove. Fun And Fiesty could be the class angle of the field but with four months of rust to shake off she could be vulnerable to some improvers. Botanical has been thriving at Turfway and looks like she should be able to handle this step up in class. At a price, she could be the best bet of the race.

John Battaglia Memorial

One mile and a sixteenth, Dirt, open to three-year-old horses. Total prize pool: $150,000

Thirteen horses are expected to line up for this year’s Battaglia Memorial with the race set to be incredibly competitive.

Due to Bob Baffert’s suspension in the Kentucky Derby, Gilmore has left his yard and is now trained out of the Brendan Walsh barn. He will head into the race with plenty of high hopes following his second place in the El Camino Real Derby. A repeat of that effort will see him go close here.

Brad Cox fields two horses in this contest with both American Speed and Aristocracy having a good chance of victory.

American Speed probably represents Cox’s best chance. Like Gilmore, he heads into the race after finishing second last time out in the Turfway Stakes. The pace of that race was muddling and seemed to catch him out turning for home. If a more even pace is set up he has to have a great chance here.

Aristocracy was a convincing winner in an allowance race at Turfway Park last month but will need to improve against some much better horses here.

Scoobie Quando will renew rivalries with American Speed after pipping him in the Turfway Stakes. That was his first-ever race and his connections will be confident of further improvements ahead of this race. An unknown factor, he could be the best horse in the contest.

Miranda Rights for Mark Casse finished third in the Turfway Stakes but could have finished closer to the leading two had it not been for some traffic issues early in the race. To finish third was a credible effort and if granted a cleaner passage he could be a threat to all.

Bromley arrives at Turfway with the benefit of running in a higher grade than this. She was able to finish fifth in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes, and although her connections would have liked him to have placed higher, back in slightly calmer waters he could be one of the better value angles of the contest.

Another at a big price to potentially keep an eye on could be Clear The Air. He is another that has winning form at the track and could be an option at longer odds.

John Battaglia Memorial Odds & Betting Prediction

Horse Jockey Odds by Jazzsports
Good Heart Jane Elliott +2000
Aristocracy Fernando De La Cruz +800
Gilmore Joseph D. Ramos +300
Scoobie Quando Luan Machado +600
Accident Orlando Mojica +3000
American Speed Chris Landeros +600
Eyes On the King Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. +1500
Miranda Rights Rafael Manuel Hernandez +800
Freezing Point Gerard Melancon +1200
Bromley Gerardo Corrales +500
Moon Landing Walter A. Rodriguez +1200
Congruent Sonny Leon +1000
Ironsides Declan Cannon +2000
Clear the Air Jack Gilligan +800

Plenty of horses will arrive at this race with big dreams. Scoobie Quando will be a danger to all and could be anything but at this time of year, Brad Cox starts to come into his own. American Speed was unlucky not to win last time out and will be confident of turning the tables here.