Betting With, and Against, Classic Q in the Ladies Turf

An octet of fillies and mares will jaunt one mile over the Kentucky Downs green in Saturday’s $1.5 million Ladies Turf (G2). The Mark Casse-trained #2 Classic Q (4-5) has been installed as the heavy favorite in the affair. By Classic Empire, the four-year-old comes in off of a pair of graded tallies in succession, led by a nice triumph in the Just A Game (G1) at Saratoga, and the filly also ran well in her lone local run when a closing fourth in the Music City (G2) on the surface in 2025. 

Classic Q – With

• $11 exacta 2 with 1,3,4 ($33)
• $2 trifecta key 2 with 1,3,4 ($12)

Classic Q – Against

• 50-cent trifecta 1,3,4 with 1,2,3,4 with all ($27)
• $1 trifecta 1,3,4 with 1,2,3,4 with 1,2,3,4 ($18)

Classic Q has big early speed with fine current form, and she also sports a 9-5-2-0 lifetime mark at the distance, as well. Regular pilot John Velazquez is in to ride and will send the gray Kentucky-bred from the break. 

I love the move to the grass for the Brad Cox-trained #1 Bless the Broken (8-1) on this occasion. The multiple Grade-1 placed filly, who attracted a final bid of $950,000 at Keeneland in November, has been facing some of the best ladies in training on the main oval this season, and a surface change seems like a great move. She was a convincing winner in her lone run on the synthetic, and if that form carries over to the green, then I could envision this one being an upset contender with Florent Geroux in the silks. 

#4 Hang the Moon (4-1), a $625,000 November purchase, is a Grade 2 winner coming off a big run at Saratoga and also has the right running style in a field with a lot of pace signed on. The Saffie Joseph pupil does her best work from off the pace and could be in a great spot for the stretch kick with Micah Husbands named to ride. 

#3 Vive Veuve (10-1) is another late runner who could secure a nice paycheck with a well-timed ride from off the pace in the lucrative affair. The Collected chestnut has run a pair of decent ones on the surface in her lifetime and had a nice prep for this when she was a closing second behind a nice one at Ellis Park most recently, as well. Jose Ortiz riding is also a positive.