Belmont Stakes 2024: Mystik Dan can rally into contested pace
Read this articleSoft Comeback Spot for Danzing Candy in $100,000 Affirmed Stakes
On Saturday at Santa Anita, the featured race is the $100,000 Affirmed Stakes. Restricted to three-year-olds, the Grade 3 contest will be held at a mile and a sixteenth on the main track and has drawn a field of five colts.
Danzing Candy headlines the compact field as the 2-5 favorite for trainer Bob Baffert who has won this race the past two years increasing his wins in this stakes race to five. A dark bay son of Twirling Candy, he has won three of his six starts and has been freshened since finishing fifteenth in the Kentucky Derby (G1). Prior to that, he won the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1). Rafael Bejarano will be in the irons and they will break from the outside post.
Dalmore trying for breakthrough stakes win
Second choice at morning line odds of 4-1 is Dalmore for trainer Keith Desormeaux who saddled Exaggerator to win the Preakness Stakes (G1) this spring. This colt, a bay son of Colonel John, was purchased for $47,000 and has two wins from ten starts. He will be trying to earn his first black type victory and is stepping up in class after winning an optional claiming race. Kent Desormeaux will be aboard and they will break from post position two.
Class test for maiden winner Curlin Rules
Also in the field at morning line odds of 5-1 is Curlin Rules for trainer John Sadler. A chestnut son of Curlin, he has been on the board in three of his five starts and is trying to earn his second victory. He broke his maiden in his second career start and since then has been competing against allowance and minor stakes company in California. He is coming out of a third-place finish and will break from the rail under Victor Espinoza.
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