How to bet the Irish O’Brien Stakes

A talented field of eight fillies and mares will dash six panels on the lawn in the $100,000 Irish O’Brien S. at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Irish O’Brien Analysis

The pace will be contested in the early stages with #4 Sadie Bluegrass (4-1) and #8 Legs Galore (2-1) both being sent from the break. I envision my top pick, #2 Bella Vita (3-1), to be third while in the garden spot early and ready to take command turning for home. 

Bella Vita is a very nice filly who exits a dominant win in the Spring Fever S. on the dirt while making her yearly debut. The $400,000 daughter of Bayern has never been out of the money in her five-race career, and she has positive experience on the Santa Anita turf, as well.

The Simon Callaghan trainee was a nose second at first asking on the course, prior to graduating in style with her 5 1/4-length romp in a 5 1/2-furlong affair locally. She is versatile, training well, and has a lot of room for improvement being lightly raced. Flavien Prat will be in the silks atop the talented bay, who will move forward second time off the layoff.

Leggs Galore is a perfect 4-for-4 on the green, led by a facile score in the Sunshine Filly and Mare Turf Sprint S. last time out. The Phil D’Amato pupil, who is also by Bayern, has excellent early foot and will benefit from drawing outside on Sunday. The gray four-year-old has had her races well spaced and figures to be ready to fire under Gonzalez. She is a top-three must-use.

#7 Sapphire Kid (5-1) is a mare that I will use in the lower rungs of the exotics for Knapp. Richard’s Kid six-year-old has won two races in succession off the shelf, and she impressed when rallying into a slow pace en route to an allowance victory most recently. I can see her working her way into the top three in the closing stages of the race.

Sadie Bluegrass has been first or second in nine of her 11 lifetime showings to date, and the chestnut daughter of Bluegrass Cat was a sharp runner-up on the course behind a nice one two prior. She is an obvious inclusion to me.

Irish O’Brien Wagers

• $30 Win: #2 Bella Vita ($30)
• 50-cent Superfecta: 2,8 with 2,7,8 with 2,4,7,8 with all ($20)