How to bet the Long Branch Stakes

The opening day feature at Monmouth Park on Saturday is the $100,000 Long Branch S. A two-turn test on the dirt for three-year-olds, the headliner attracted a field of eight in what appears to be a fairly competitive contest. #1 Cool Intentions (7-2) was outrun in a pair of stakes tries in Florida in his latest ventures, but the bay had displayed a good amount of ability prior to those events, and I expect him to do excellent things in this spot.  

Long Branch Wagers

• $20 win #1 Cool Intentions ($20)
• $10 exacta box 1-8 ($20)
• $5 exacta box 1-7 ($10)

Trained by Jorge Delgado, the $285,000 yearling purchase was a smart second to a future stakes winner in his six-furlong debut, prior to registering a pair of convincing tallies on the Gulfstream Park main strip. The son of Authentic is a stalker with a nice turn of foot, and the rail draw seems ideal for his running style in this field. He put in a solid half-mile morning drill on this course to acclimate to his surroundings on Sunday, and I envision him inching clear in the lane with Jeiron Barbosa in the stirrups. 

The two runners on the outside of the cast will be the main dangers to my top selection. #8 Pascaline (5-2), a son of Upstart, bagged the Laurel Futurity in his juvenile finale and kicked off 2025 with a close third-place finish in the Bay Shore S. at Aqueduct for trainer Arnaud Delacour. The West Virginia-bred bay has been training in swift fashion this season, and he could benefit from being drawn on the outside in the group with his stalking running style. With each career try, he has improved his Brisnet Speed rating and looms large under Victor Carrasco. 

#7 Kentucky Outlaw (3-1) suffered his first setback when unplaced in the Federico Tesio S. at Pimlico most recently, but the Felissa Dunn pupil had romped in his first two engagements, and he will race with blinkers on for the initial time, as well. The bay son of Outwork has very good early foot and will surely be put into the race from the opening bell on Saturday with Paco Lopez taking the reins.