We have all heard it. Sometimes you just take what they give you. I wish I saw it another way, but I do not want to throw money away on something I view as highly unlikely. For me, The Jim Dandy sets up as a two-horse race and although one of the two seems to have a bit of a pace advantage, an angle I often back, in this case I lean the other way.

Commandment looks like a slight favorite over Renegade off his second in The Belmont. That said the odds can really swing either way here and Renegade did handle him rather easily in The Kentucky Derby when he was second despite a rough go of it at the start. Those races are in the rear view so let us focus on Saturday.

Commandment adds blinkers off a good race. I do not like a blinker change off a sharp race. It may help but it also raises a question mark. Renegade ran big in Kentucky and was a little flat from that effort last out. He has had some more time, and I think he is sitting on a peak race and possibly his best one yet. If I am correct, he should be able to out finish these even without an ideal pace set up.

For me, the key is finding a way to get some value out of him. He will be a single for me in the late multi-race wagers. I will also take one ice cold exacta with him on top, no reverse, no hedge. The second horse is a game time decision, but it will not be Commandment. I will not overthink this one, nor try and get creative. I’ll ride who I think is the best horse and hopefully structure things right around him. Sometimes you take what they give you.

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We ran two of the key races on Saturday, both with Breeders’ Cup implications on The Riders Up App. You can view the full reports below. We also shared the […]

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