How to bet the Boston Handicap

A total of 11 boys will travel seven furlongs on the dirt at Colonial Downs in Friday’s $150,000 Boston H. Grade 1 winner #6 Book’em Danno (1-1) is the towering figure in the heat, and while the Derek Ryan trainee might not be fully cranked up for his 2025 debut, the gelding gets top billing, nonetheless. 

Boston Wagers

• $2 superfecta 6 with 2,9 with 2,9 with all ($32)
• 50-cent superfecta 6 with 2,9 with all with 2,9 ($8)

The son of Bucchero was a very good two-year-old and continued to progress as a sophomore, where he proved to be among the better one-turn horses in training. The New Jersey-bred four-year-old bagged the Pasco S. at Tampa Bay Downs by 12 lengths to commence 2024, which preceded a fantastic runner-up showing behind Forever Young in the lucrative Saudi Derby (G3). He earned his top score to date with an impressive Woody Stephens S. (G1) tally at Saratoga in the summer, and the dark bay has trained well in advance of his yearly bow. 

Book’em Danno is 2-for-4 with a pair of placings in his lifetime at the seven-eighths trip, and he seems poised to give a nice account of himself in a field that lacks star quality. Paco Lopez will have the favorite moving into contention approaching the turn for home before going clear inside the final furlong. 

For the vertical exotics, I’m intrigued by the Linda Rice-trained #9 Power Seeker (6-1) coming off the bench. The Virginia-bred son of Distorted Humor registered some very good runs against talented horses in the allowance ranks in the Empire State last campaign, and the lightly raced six-year-old will cut back in distance for his seasonal debut in this spot. A winner in his lone prior effort at seven panels, the versatile sort figures to be forwardly placed to some degree early under Flavien Prat. 

Two-time stakes victor #2 Celtic Contender (4-1) comes off a runner-up result in the General George S. at Laurel Park in his seasonal bow and has been first or second in a handful of races in succession leading up to Friday. This Hamilton Smith pupil sports a 6-2-2-2 mark at the distance, and the son of Irish War Cry has the tactical speed to be involved from the break as well. The four-year-old colt will have Victor Carrasco in the stirrups.