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Wicked Halo: Dream Bet in Dixie Belle

Eight Runners Line Up in Oaklawn Park Feature

Some quality fillies have won the Dixie Belle and a field of eight looks to add their name to the list on Saturday.

Headlining the horse racing betting market is Wicked Halo, which could be a standout runner for Steven Asmussen.

Wicked Halo: Dream Bet in Dixie Belle
Rob Carr/Getty Images/AFP

However, there are numerous winning chances and it could set up for a big finish at Oaklawn Park, which runs on the same day as the Risen Star.

Wicked Halo Earns Grade II Win

Wicked Halo won the Grade II Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga last year and that makes her a nice filly.

She scored in style and trainer Steven Asmussen was thankful to his owner for delivering the talented types to his stable.

“Ron [Winchell, owner-breeder] giving us horses like this makes all the accolades possible,” Asmussen told TDN. “This filly, her mother won the Adirondack, and what a great sire Gun Runner is proving to be. To duplicate what her mother did is very special.”

She is a special type and that will be reflected in betting markets with the sportsbook. We expect short odds for the daughter of Gun Runner, who will have bigger aspirations later in the year.

Wicked Halo has more upside than most in this field and she looked excellent when running 1:00 in a five-furlong breeze up at Fair Grounds last month.

Our only concern is having a new jockey, but she is the testing material.

Pick: Wicked Halo

Happy Soul to Test Favorite

Happy Soul is seeking her third consecutive win after taking the Astoria Stakes at Belmont last start.

The 3-year-old filly started her career with a second placing at Keeneland before breaking maidens at Belmont. Her win in the Astoria was classy and trainer Wesley Ward was thrilled with the result given that she might have needed the run.

“She got beat on the squares there in her first start,” Ward told The Paulick Report. “We were ready when she came back, so we were expecting a big effort. Then, the Astoria came up where she would have been the overwhelming favorite going in, so it was hard to pass up, even without a breeze under her belt.”

Ward is known for training quality sprinters, so it could pay to follow betting online markets for a late betting push.

Com’ On Sweet Luv Has Upside

Brad Cox lines up Com’ On Sweet Luv, who owns a win and two second-placings from three starts.

The daughter of Jimmy Creed broke maiden grades at Fair Grounds before finishing second in the Letellier Memorial behind Girl with a Dream, so it’s a solid form guide.

She is facing a rise in class against the likes of Wicked Halo and Happy Soul, but she should be paying each-way odds and she’s worth including.

Much like Happy Soul, it could pay to look for a late betting push. She could pay a handsome place price, so include her in multiples.

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