New York Stallion Stakes Series: What is it & Betting Tips for Friday at Aqueduct

NEW YORK — By Ed DeRosa

You know how I try to get you to bet certain races by writing about them (and, yes, I realize that some of you just bet the opposite of what I say)? Well, breeding programs have similar incentive programs.

So it goes with the New York Stallion Series, which offers special stakes races available only to those horses whose sires (i.e. fathers) are a part of the Stallion Series. It costs at least $2,500 to nominate a stallion and then each of his foals are eligible to the Series races.

This type of series restricted to horses by certain sires is different than races restricted by where a horse was born. The horses eligible to compete in the New York Stallion Series can be born anywhere as long as they’re sired by a New York-based stallion nominated to the series.

That is why you will sometimes see horses competing in Stallion Series races born in places other than New York State, but that is not the case for the New York Stallion Series Stakes on Friday at Aqueduct, as all eight three-year-old fillies are not only by New York-based stallions but also born in New York State.

More important than all that, though, is that this edition of the New York Stallion Series for three-year-old fillies sprinting on the turf appears to offer a wagering opportunity with 5-to-2 morning line favorite #2 Geopolitics looking vulnerable here.

It’s not that she can’t win, but she has been favored to do so in both career starts and came up short both times against maidens. I.e., she could not beat fields of horses who had never won a race before and now has to face winners.

#5 Soloshot is my preferred selection here given the ride change to Irad Ortiz Jr. She should improve with him at the reigns. #3 My Shea D Lady could benefit from a lot of pace ahead of her. I will use both these horses in an exacta box bet and play them to beat Geopolitics in the multi-race wagers.

For those looking at Pick 3s, there is one that starts with the Stallion Series and continues with a New York-bred maiden race in which #9 He Has It All looks to be on the improve since cutting back to a sprint last out. 

That sequence concludes with race 8, a 9-furlong starter allowance turf race that features an intriguing longshot in #4 Anileate. This 15-to-1 morning line option showed some signs of life last out passing horses in her return to turf, and I think she’ll enjoy the stretch out to 9 furlongs.

The Bets:

$1 Pick 3 part wheel #3, #5 with #9 with #4, #6, #9, #10

Total bet = $8