Top Graded Stakes for the Weekend to Bet On

Let’s see the two top Graded Stakes Races happen this week. The Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks takes place at Turfway Park. The Fair Grounds in Louisiana has its most important day of the meet when three-year-olds throw down in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby.

Also at the Fair Grounds is the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks for three-year-old fillies and the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic for four-year-olds and older. Check out the top stakes races on Saturday so that when horse racing odds land, you’re ready to start handicapping.

Betting Horse Racing on March 22: 6 Graded Races that Need Action
Two major Kentucky Derby prep races to Bet On!

Top Stakes Races in March: Second Weekend Action | Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Turfway Park – Fair Grounds

Betting MyBookie Horse Racing in March: Top Graded Stakes Races for the Weekend

Writer’s Picks on the Top Thoroughbred Stakes Races Happening this Weekend

Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Classic

1 1/8 miles synthetic – 4-year-olds and up
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Turfway Park

Trainer Brendan Walsh could saddle the favorite in this year’s Kentucky Cup Classic. Verstappen, named after Red Bull’s dominant F1 driver, finished second in the John B. Connally Turf Cup in the last.

If horseplayers don’t side with Verstappen, they’re likely to back one of the two Brad Cox horses, Encino or Hush of a Storm. Todd Pletcher has a contender in Tucson, which won an allowance at Gulfstream Park in the last.

Other contenders include Mike Maker trained Paros and Tall Boy from the Doug O’Neill barn. O’Neill, a SoCal based trainer, rarely ships. So give Tall Boy a look for sure.

Bet Grade 3 Kentucky Cup Classic: Turfway Park

Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks

1 1/8 miles synthetic – 3-year-olds
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Turfway Park

Brad Cox trained Final Gambit is attempting to go from a maiden score to a graded win. Cox must feel like he’s got a runner in Final Gambit.

Based on the fact Juddmonte Farms owns, it’s difficult to argue with Brad.

Calling Card, trained by Mike Maker, could improve on the synthetic. The Complexity sired sophomore finished seventh in the Grade 3 Gotham at Aqueduct in the last.

Both Charlie’s to Blame and California Burrito are going to attract betting dollars. Charlie won the listed stakes Kitten’s Joy in the last.

California Burrito took home the top prize at the John Battaglia Memorial over the Turfway surface in its last.

Three others deserve a look. Maximum Promise hails from the Kenny McPeek barn. Candytown goes for Todd Pletcher and SoCal trainer Peter Miller ships Curvino for this. All three appear well-meant.

Bet Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks: Turfway Park

Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic

1 1/8 miles turf – four-year-olds and up
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Fair Grounds

Top turf trainer Chad Brown brings a strong hand into the Grade 2 Muniz Memorial.

Spirit of St. Louis, a Medaglia d’Oro sired turfer owned by Madaket Stables, made a massive leap from listed stakes to the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Turf and score the victory.

Spirit of St. louis could go off at even money or below in this. So we should try to beat the expected morning line chalk.

Which horses can take it to Chad’s top runner? How about Brown’s other starter, Redistricting?

Second in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap, redistricting is on the verge of a top race. Not only that but top jock Flavien Prat rides.

Top turf trainer Cherie DeVaux has a couple of potential upsetters. Brilliant Berti won the Grade 3 Bryan Station Stakes in the last.

Rebel Red finished third in the Grade 2 Red Smith. Higgins Boat, trained by Tom Amoss, is another potential-upset winner.

But Higgins Boat must break from post position 13, which is far from ideal on the turf at the Fair Grounds.

Bet Grade 2 Muniz Memorial Classic: Fair Grounds

Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks

1 1/16 miles dirt – 3-year-old fillies
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Fair Grounds

Kenny McPeek trained Gowell’s Delight ran a great race when finishing second in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra. Gowell’s Delight breaks from the advantageous post 2. Brian Hernandez, who knows the Fair Grounds well, steps aboard, which is another advantage.

Gowell’s Delight projects to go off second choice to Rachal Alexandra winner Good Cheer.

Brad Cox, the hottest trainer in the United States, puts the saddle on Good Cheer. When Cox gets any of his runners in good form, they maintain their excellent form for multiple races.

Tom Amoss may have the filly to upset the favorites. Quickick finished fifth in the Grade 3 Honeybee in the last, calls Tyler Gaffalione her jockey, and shouldn’t suffer much after breaking form post position 9. The others will be long shots.

Bet Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks: Fair Grounds

Grade 2 New Orleans Classic

1 1/18 miles dirt – 4-year-olds and up
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Fair Grounds

This year’s New Orleans Classic is shaping up as the most competitive event on Fair Grounds’s Saturday card.

Street Sense sired Kinetic is going to go off the second choice. Not only does Kinetic go for Godolphin but Brad Cox trains.

Kinetic also won the General McArthur Overnight Stakes with a big speed rating in the last. Any improvement and Kinetic could leave its competition in the dust.

Steve Asmussen has a contender in Hall of Fame. The Grade 3 Mineshaft winner breaks next door to Kinetic.

Jockey Jose Ortiz can track Luis Saez and Kinetic since the Cox horse breaks from the rail. No doubt, Saez is going to play catch me if you can.

So if Ortiz and Hall of Fame can stay close enough to Saez and Kinetic, a win could happen.

Horseplayers are going to pound Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone to close to even money.

For sure, the Chad Brown trainee can win this. But the race is Sierra Leone’s first since the last November Classic score.

So Brown may be using this Grade 2 to get Sierra into race shape, considering there are much bigger prizes down the road.

Beware of backing Sierra Leone to beat quality runners like Kinetic, Hall of Fame, and Touchuponastar, Bishop’s Bay, and the Michael Stidham trained Maycock’s Bay.

Bet Grade 2 New Orleans Classic: Fair Grounds

Grade 2 Louisiana Derby

1 3/16 miles dirt – 3-year-olds
Saturday, March 22nd, 2025
Fair Grounds

Brad Cox will saddle the favorite in John Hancock. Sired by Constitution, John Hancock won the Sam F. Davis stakes in the last. Flavien Prat, Cox’s go-to rider, is aboard JH.

Cox’s other runner is Instant Replay. Don’t look past Brad’s other horse in this. Instant Replay could be tough to beat after winning an allowance over the Fair Grounds dirt in the last.

Steve Asmussen saddles Tiztastic and Yinzer. Both are eligible to improve after their last races. If the odds are right, use both Asmussen runners in your exotics.

Built finished third in the Grade 2 Risen Star. The Hard Spun sired sophomore can get it done at a price.

Also give D. Wayne Lukas trained Caldera a look. The coach can surprise with an underrated horse once in a while. So make sure to handicap that one thoroughly before dismissing.

Bet Grade 2 Louisiana Derby: Fair Grounds

Top Graded Stakes Races | Bet the Stakes Races MyBookie Live Horse Racing Odds

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Champion 3-year-old male Sierra Leone is set to make his 4-year-old debut March 22 in the $500,000 New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) @fairgroundsnola. Read more: https://t.co/zmetwzoVta @petedenk
— BloodHorse (@BloodHorse) March 18, 2025

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