How to bet the Advent Stakes

The opening day feature at Oaklawn Park is the $150,000 Advent S., a six-furlong heat for juveniles. A talented and well-matched field of seven will go postward in a race that lacks a standout. 

Advent Wagers

• $20 win #5 Ganaas ($20)
• $8 exacta box 5-6 ($16)
• 50-cent trifecta 5,6 with 5,6,7 with all ($15)

The Andrew McKeever-trained #5 Ganaas (7-2) led the way to the turn for home in the Street Sense (G3) before finishing fifth most recently, and I like the cutback in distance for the son of War Front. The Shadwell homebred dominated in his first pair of assignments at one turn, and he will be dead fit for this heat following a quartet of morning moves in advance of his local bow, led by a bullet drill at Keeneland three back. 

Ganaas doesn’t need the lead in order to succeed, and in a race with a lot of early gas, he could sit a dream voyage from the second flight early to get first run on the closing types at the top of the lane. The April foal will have regular pilot Edgar Morales in the irons. 

#6 Spun D M C (5-2) broke his maiden on debut at Churchill Downs on Sept. 12 and stopped the timer faster than Ganaas did in his allowance victory on the same card. Trained by Randy Morse, the $95,000 juvenile purchase was a clear second behind a superb winner in the Bowman Mill S. at Keeneland second time out, and has worked forwardly in the interim. The Kentucky-bred son of Spun to Run will never be far back and should be clear throughout with Luis Saez in the stirrups. 

Steve Asmussen’s #7 Strong Potential (8-1) showed a lot of heart in his score at first asking at Ellis Park and gets an ideal outside post for this heat. The son of very good freshman sire Yaupon was well backed in his unveiling, and while he didn’t earn a huge Brisnet Speed number for his work, the $100,000 purchase has a lot of room for improvement and has put in a trio of morning moves at this venue, including a bullet half-mile jaunt from the gate here on Dec. 4. I expect the March foal to be well placed at the top of the lane with Joel Rosario inheriting the ride.