Expert Pick of the Week: 2024 Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes Exacta

Dec 23, 2024 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

 

Betting Analysis for Thursday's Nelson J. Menard Memorial Stakes

A very competitive group of 12 fillies and mares will vie in Thursday’s $100,000 Nelson J. Menard Memorial S. at Fair Grounds. The about 5 1/2-furlong heat on the turf is a wide-open event, and I’m going to take a chance with Speedy Traveler in her turf debut. She is the Expert Pick of the Week.

Trained by Phil Bauer, the lightly-raced daughter of good grass influence First Samurai is a four-time winner from seven career races to date and comes off a solid third-place result in the Cornucopia S. at Parx most recently. The chestnut, who dusted a good one on the dirt at Churchill Downs on Sept. 14, has major early foot in a field lacking an abundance of pace, and she also fired a bullet three panels at this venue in advance of Thursday. Speedy Traveler is well drawn to force or establish the tempo in the dash under the guidance of Jaime Torres.

I will also include two others, including the filly who annexed the Pan Zareta S. on the course on Nov. 30. Steve Asmussen’s Accomplished Girl was a solid winner of that affair while making her local bow and has to be given respect right back in this endeavor. The four-year-old daughter of Street Boss has a good level of gate presence, but she proved in her latest showing that she is more than capable of running from off the pace too. Jareth Loveberry has the assignment.

Oeuvre, a six-time winner on the lawn for conditioner Chris Block, has won the past two runnings of this race. Her repeat came when it was taken off the turf, and she is a threat on any surface when she fires her best shot. The Shackelford five-year-old dons a 4-2-1-0 mark on this course, and the Illinois-bred mare was a solid third in a deep field at Keeneland in her last run on turf. The talented miss will stalk the early action with David Cohen in the stirrups.

Expert Pick for Betting at Fair Grounds

An exacta with #11 Speedy Traveler on top of #5 Oeuvre and #7 Accomplished Girl in the 2024 Nelson J. Menard Memorial S. is the Best Bet of the Week.

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