2011 King's Bishop Stakes - Picks on Winner & Trifecta

Written by Jake Thompson
Thursday, 25 August 2011 18:52

Horse racing picks are ready on the winner and the trifecta in Saturday’s 2011 King’s Bishop Stakes.

You’ll have to wait until tomorrow for horse racing picks on the Traver’s Stakes, but we decided to throw a bone to our readers and put up predictions on the 2011 King’s Bishop Stakes a day early.  We’ll go over the King’s Bishop Stakes field and then tell you who we think will be the winner.  On top of that, our trifecta box picks should enlighten everyone as to how we think the 7-furlong race at Saratoga is going to go down.

The King’s Bishop Stakes will be shown live on NBC and has a post time of roughly 5:00 PM ET.  The horse racing odds used in this article are the morning line odds at Saratoga and we’ll be sure to talk a little bit about how they might change in the hours before post time.  Make sure to check out the online racebook comparison tool to get a bonus on top of the money you were planning to wager on the King’s Bishop Stakes, and best of luck to all the horse racing bettors out there.

Travers Stakes picks now posted!

2011 King’s Bishop Stakes – Post Positions, Horses, and Odds:

1 – Flashpoint, 5-2

2 – Caleb’s Posse, 9-2

3 – Runflatout, 8-1

4 – Dominus, 6-1

5 – Poseidon’s Warrior, 20-1

6 – Justin Phillip, 15-1

7 – Uncle Mo, 9-5

8 – Cool Blue Red Hot, 12-1

Uncle Mo is obviously the main attraction here and he’s extremely tough to toss from our King’s Bishop Stakes picks despite a long layoff because of a liver-related problem.  I’m not usually one to count on horses coming back after a ton of time off but I keep hearing just how incredible this 3-year-old is looking recently.  The underdog bettor wants to toss him in favor of some in-form horses, but the realist in me knows he can dominate just about everyone in the world at this distance when he is running well.

Poseidon’s Warrior is the long shot of the King’s Bishop Stakes and I just don’t see any way he’ll be able to keep up.  He’s going to try to be up near the lead but just isn’t as good as some of the other pace setters in this field and I think he’ll be left behind.  Justin Phillip is one of the few close stalkers in the field and I’m also tossing him because I don’t believe he’ll be able to keep up with the fast pace and have enough left in the tank to make his move.

Flashpoint has to be included in our King’s Bishop picks because of his wire-to-wire ability and his inside post position.  Unlike Uncle Mo, Flashpoint won’t have to expel energy to get on the lead and that will ultimately allow him to have more in the gas tank for the final furlongs.  He’s going to be tough to beat and those 5-2 odds can definitely help out our trifecta pay.

The expected fast pace can definitely set up some quick closers, with Caleb’s Posse and Cool Blue Red Hot looking like the best of the bunch in the King’s Bishop.  Caleb’s Posse has a ton of run in these shorter races and he’ll be coming fast toward the end.  Cool Blue Red Hot is one of my personal favorites but I have a feeling he won’t have the leg kick to make up the distance in the final furlongs.

Runflatout and Dominus are both going to be near the lead and should show improvements over some recent races that saw them try to go longer distances.  Ultimately I think that Flashpoint and Uncle Mo are simply better at their own game and will toss both from contention.

2011 King’s Bishop Stakes – Picks on the Trifecta Box:

Flashpoint, 5-2

Uncle Mo, 9-5

Caleb’s Posse 9-2

I hate having to take the 3 race favorites but everything I see when I look at the 2011 King’s Bishop Stakes horses points toward Flashpoint and Uncle Mo battling for the lead while Caleb’s Posse comes on strong in the later stages.  Cool Blue Red Hot has a chance to play spoiler but I just can’t take him over Caleb’s Posse after what the latter just did in dominating the Amsterdam last time out.

2011 King’s Bishop Stakes – Picks on the Winner:

Flashpoint, 5-2

Ultimately I just think Flashpoint is set up too perfectly to lose this race.  With Uncle Mo likely to get bet down to around even money at post time, the value on Flashpoint should be even greater when the horses get in the starting gate for the King’s Bishop.  Uncle Mo has too many obstacles to cross to get to the rail, and there is the whole layoff thing that still makes me wonder.  Flashpoint should wire the field and I don’t think Caleb’s Posse will be able to catch him at the end.