September 12, 2024
NEW YORK — By Ed DeRosa
An extremely competitive edition of the Winter Memories Stakes welcomes the return of racing Downstate, as it is the featured 9th race on a 10-race card Friday that reopens the Belmont at Aqueduct meeting that runs through Nov. 3.
From a wagering standpoint, the good news is that likely favorite #8 Dynamic Pricing (5-to-2 on David Aragona’s morning line) does not have to win this.
She will take money given her connections (Irad Ortiz Jr. riding for trainer Chad Brown) and that she won a graded stakes earlier this year for these connections before a third, beaten less than a length, in the Lake Placid last out, but she is one of several in here who does her running midpack before kicking on turning for home.
Several others in here deploy similar tactics, which could dull the favorite’s kick, making her vulnerable at a short price.
I am most excited about #2 Zo Lee, who is 30-to-1 on the morning line and gets an ideal inside draw given that I think she can be one of the more forwardly placed fillies as she stretches back out to two turns. She is absolutely worth a win bet.
The others worth monitoring are #3 Les Reys making her first start Stateside off a pair of handicap wins this spring at Longchamp, #6 Cloudwalker-a closer when sprinting trying two turns for the first time, and #9 Nice As Pie reuniting with jockey Adam Beschizza after being left with too much to do in her two-turn debut last out under a different jock for the first time in her career. Kelsey Danner trains both Zo Lee and Nice As Pie.
Again, I am looking to bet Zo Lee to win and will check exactas using #s 2, 3, 6, and 9. Boxing the four of those is $12 for each $1.