America’s Best Racing, Belle Premium American Vodka, and handicapper (and avid gambler) Monique Vág team up to provide horseplayers with their best bets of the weekend.

Vág will identify her top picks as well as at least one longshot play of the weekend, a nice opportunity to swing for the fences on a win bet or to take a shot with a show bet. She also will occasionally look for strong exacta plays for the weekend or try to spot a nice opportunity for other wagers.

Belle Premium American Vodka is the official vodka of America’s Best Racing. The American-made, American-owned vodka is distilled in Virginia, the birthplace of Thoroughbred breeding and racing in North America. The company’s mascot, Belle ‘n Tonic, broke her maiden at Laurel Park in Maryland in April 2018.

This Weekend’s Bets

Saturday, Sept. 14

Best Bet

Woodbine, Race 3, $125,000 Bold Venture Stakes, 2:14 p.m. ET

#2 Pink Lloyd: He has won 21 of 26 at Woodbine and has been one of the most dominant horses racing over this all-weather surface in many years. He has logged a five-race winning streak and is brought back fairly quickly off only two weeks’ rest. Look to single him in all of your pick 4/5/6 sequences because the price is too short for WIN wagers, and he should once again romp against this field.

Best Bet

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Churchill Downs, Race 7, $125,000 Open Mind Stakes, 3:48 p.m. ET

#7 America's Tale: She drops out of the graded stakes ranks and returns to listed stakes racing where she has won two of her most recent three efforts, both in front-running style. She doesn’t need the lead to win, which bodes well if the break is a little slow. Although she has never won at today’s six-furlong distance, she does flaunt a recent win against Grade 2 competition at seven furlongs.

Longshot Play

Churchill Downs, Race 9, $200,000 Pocahontas Stakes, 4:53 p.m. ET

#5 Blood Curdling: I’m not sold on the probable post-time favorite #6 Morning Gold, who is trying Lasix (furosemide) and racing on the dirt for the first time in a graded stakes race. On the other hand, this filly took advantage of a nice trip and opened up to an 11-length victory in her debut. She receives a big jockey upgrade today and could flourish going longer at the route distance.

Longshot Play

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Woodbine, Race 9, $1,000,000 Ricoh Woodbine Mile Stakes, 5:42 p.m. ET

#10 Emmaus: The favorite, #5 Got Stormy, will be very tough to beat in here as she’s been dominant over her most recent two efforts – however, this longshot offers good value. He has done well at Woodbine through three starts and narrowly missed at the seven-furlong distance earlier in 2019 twice. The move to route racing and getting another start with Lasix (furosemide) may spark a big effort at generous odds.

Favorite Sports Pick of the Weekend

Sunday, Sept. 15

National Football League: Chicago Bears @ Denver Broncos

PICK: Chicago Bears -2.5 (-110): This line appears to be an overreaction to the Bears’ poor performance on opening night of the NFL season. Hopefully by now the Bears have their running back situation figured out and are able to execute a balanced attack. The Broncos are coming off a Monday night loss to the Oakland Raiders on the road and unfortunately start their season off on a short week of limited rest. Look for the Bears to lock down the Broncos and do enough to cover comfortably with the small spread.