Expert Pick of the Week: 2023 Dade Park Dash Stakes

Jul 07, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A
total of seven three-year-olds will speed 5 1/2 furlongs on the Ellis Park lawn
in Saturday’s $100,000 Dade Park Dash S. The event features just one prior
winner on the green, as the cast holds a combined 2-for-13 mark on the sod
collectively.

The
Fausto Gutierrez-trained
Mounsieur Coco finished a respectable fifth in the Indian Summer S. on the Keeneland weeds
in his penultimate juvenile start in October, and he comes in fresh for his
second try on the turf while facing a much more realistic field from the rail.
He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

By
solid turf influence Bolt d’Oro, the bay displayed class on the all-weather at
Gulfstream Park in 2022 when breaking his maiden second time out, which
preceded a fine stakes victory in the Proud Man S. The Kentucky-bred colt has
always displayed a measure of early foot and is training in sharp fashion in
advance of his sophomore bow for a good layoff conditioner.

Mounsieur
Coco is from a productive sprint family, he has a turf-winning sibling,
and the top pick might also be the pace of the race if he breaks clean from the
gate on Saturday. Martin Chuan will be in the silks and sending the talented
three-year-old from the opening bell in hopes of taking the field in
gate-to-wire fashion.

Chris
Hartman’s
Midnight Taxes was
unplaced in a pair of previous tries on the turf as a two-year-old, but the
gelded son of Midnight Lute has seven siblings that made good on the green, and
the Arkansas-bred has to be given a long look in this spot. The speedy sort has
won or placed in four of his last five assignments since joining this outfit,
and the sophomore has both a fine outside post and the gate presence to be well-placed throughout the dash. Mitchell Murrill will be in the stirrups.

Stakes
winner
Release McCraken had a
three-race win streak snapped when fourth behind the surging Ryvit in the
Bachelor S. at Oaklawn Park in April. The Bret Calhoun charge will race as a
gelding for the initial time, and the $125,000 juvenile purchase has a pair of
siblings that scored on the lawn, as well. Francisco Arrieta will be in the
silks atop the Kentucky-bred.

An
exacta with
#1 Mounsieur Coco on top
of
#7 Midnight Taxes and #5 Release McCraken in the 2023 Dade
Park Dash Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.