How to bet the Prairie Bayou Stakes

A full field of 12 will go one mile on the Tapeta in Sunday’s $250,000 Prairie Bayou S. at Turfway Park, one of four black-type races on the fine card. I feel that Canadian invader #5 Dresden Row (4-1) will love the cutback in distance in his second appearance at this venue and will run them down in the lane. Trained by Lorne Richards, the multiple graded stakes winner was last seen driving home a fantastic winner of the Autumn S. (G3) at Woodbine and will be especially tough to beat with a repeat of that performance. 

Prairie Bayou Wagers

• $7 exacta 5 with 2,3,12 ($21)
• $2 trifecta key 5 with 2,3,12 ($12)
• 10-cent superfecta 5 with 2,3,12 with 2,3,12 with all ($5.40)

Dresden Row fell just a head short in this contest last season against a similar type of field, and I think that he will go one better this time around. Regular rider Ryan Munger will come in to guide the four-year-old son of Lord Nelson. 

I’ll use a trio of runners underneath the top pick, including #2 Horsepower (8-1) for conditioner Joe Orseno. The four-year-old gelding sports a 4-2-1-0 mark on the all-weather in his lifetime, and the gray comes off a solid run at the distance when third in the Artie Schiller S. on the Aqueduct grass in his latest endeavor. He has been consistently good and has the tactical speed to stay in range prior to being asked for his best in the lane. Samuel Marin will pilot the value contender. 

Godolphin homebred #12 Encino (3-1) is a stakes winner on the surface while finishing first or second in each of his four prior assignments at Turfway. A four-time stakes winner, the dark bay son of Nyquist didn’t fire on the Churchill grass in his latest showing but will improve on Sunday in his return to this venue. I expect Flavien Prat to ask the four-year-old for speed from the break. 

The Brendan Walsh-trained #3 Cameo Performance (9-2) was a nice third behind the leading selection in the Autumn last time out and can surely grab a share of this race while making his local debut. Kentucky-bred bay has hit the board in each of his three synthetic runs leading up to this and will benefit from picking up the services of Irad, too.