In his regular gambling blog, John Piassek presents his top picks for horse racing this coming weekend, offering betting options at different budget levels. Piassek’s Plays is brought to you by Horseplayers.com, the official online eligibility site of Breeders Cup Betting Challenge (BCBC) and National Athletics Championships (NHC). Horseplayers.com offers daily low-cost tier sets and BCBC and NHC qualifiers every weekend, and it’s the only site where you can qualify for $1 million BCBC. It’s completely free to sign up – click here to receive information on registration and how to enter the contest.
Piassek has contributed to the horse racing websites The Racing Biz and Danonymous Racing and worked at Tioga Downs, Monmouth Park, and Racecourse Saratoga. He entered the American Grand Prix in January 2021.
Saturday, November 13
Delta Downs, Race 8, post time 4:41 p.m. ET
# 7 Byanymeans: This is a Louisiana crossbreeding permit race with 6 1/2 feathers. Due to Delta’s configuration, this race takes about two turns. I’m having a bit of faith here and riding with a horse that hasn’t been raced since early April. The Byanymeans were at the peak of their career earlier this year, winning the title twice at this level with respectable pace numbers. She hasn’t started since April 7, but she has been training consistently for a month and trainer Rylee Grudzien hit 20% with the horses having to be off work for 90 days or more. If this mare returns to her form from the spring, she will be hard to beat. She should rank in the middle of the swarm early and move late. In an open competition like this, I’m happy to lead a horse to the 8-1 light line like hers.
Strategy with a budget of $10
$4 to win over 7
2 exactly $, 7 with 1, 2, 8 ($6 total)
Strategy with a $25 . budget
7 dollars to win over 7
3 exactly $, 7 with 1, 2, 8 ($9 total)
$1 trifecta, 7 with 1, 2, 8 with 1, 2, 8, 10 ($9 total)
Strategy with a budget of $50
$17 to win over 7
5 dollars to be exact, 7 with 1, 2, 8 ($15 total)
$1 trifecta, 7 with 1, 2, 8 with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 10 ($18 total)
Delta Downs, race 9, Delta Mile Stakes, posting time 5:09 p.m. ET
#2 It’s a wrap: A competitive field of ten will battle it out in Saturday’s feature at Delta Downs. Its a Wrap has come a long way in a few months, from non-winners in three declared races at Evangeline Downs to running for $100,000. The key to his success was his early pace. He has won his last three races in head-to-head gate style, setting the pace early and retreating all the time. Two races back, he won the Evangeline Mile Stakes after setting a fast pace and holding steady. He has an ideal pole position for a speed horse and doesn’t have any trouble getting to the rails and establishing control. If he comes out near his dawn 5-1, it makes for an excellent value game.
Strategy with a budget of $10
$7 to win over 2
3 exactly $, 2 with 6
Strategy with a $25 . budget
$15 to win over 2
5 dollars to be exact, 2 for 6, 9 ($10 total)
Strategy with a budget of $50
$30 to win over 2
10 dollars to be exact, 2 for 6, 9 ($20 total)
