Najjaar Ready for Class Test in Rebel

Who: Thoroughbreds – Scatman, Sabercat, Secret Circle, Najjaar, Ellafitz
What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Rebel,The Santa Margarita Invitational
Where: OaklawnPark, Santa Anita
When: Saturday, March 17th

Secret Circle will get all the press prior to Saturday’sGrade2 Rebel at Oaklawn, but look for a freight train named Najjaar to garner theheadlines after it’s over. Out west, the likelihood of rain makes front-runnerEllafitz an even more prohibitive favorite in the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Invitational at Santa Anita. We’ll take a closer look at these races below.

In The Rebel, #8-SecretCircle (9-5) figures to sit a nice trip pressing the pace of #3-Scatman (8-1) to his inside…similarto what we saw in The Southwest. This time, however, at a mile-and-a-sixteenth,they must run the full length of the Oaklawn stretch, with powerful finisher #11-Najjaar (6-1) bearing down on them.Secret Circle will be toting an extra five pounds this time too, equaling theweight he’ll be spotting Najjaar. Najjaar, making his stakes debut, will offera square price at 5-1 or better, in part because of the rather modestlifetime-best Beyer Speed Figure of84 he earned last out. Keep in mind, though, that he defeated older horses inthat allowance score, something that none of the other members of the Rebelfield have even attempted at this early stage of their careers. I’ll bet on #11-Najjaar to win at odds of5-1 or better, and key him top and bottom in exactas with #3-Scatman,#7-Sabercat and #8-Secret Circle. The exacta tickets will look like this:11/3,7,8 and 3,7,8/11.

It appears that #4-Ellafitz(6-5) will have an easy time of it on the front end in The Santa Margarita.No other member of the field has had the lead at any of the first three pointsof call in any race since the beginning of 2011! The likelihood of rain maymake her task even easier. Although she’s never raced in off going, she’scertainly bred to love the slop, with a Tomlinson mud mark of 421. #5-Include Me Out (9-5) is in career form, having won the Grade 2 LaCanada last out in convincing fashion. She won her only try on an offtrack, so I’ll use her to round out the chalky exacta. I’ll bet a straight 4-5 exacta, Ellafitz over Include Me Out.

Those are my horseracing betting tips for the weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!