Gulfstream Park's road to the 201 Kentucky Derby begins in earnest on Saturday afternoon when nine three-year-olds leave the starting gate in the 2021 Holy Bull Stakes at the Hallandale Beach, Fla., track. The connections of the horses in the Holy Bull will hope to move on to Gulfstream's next 2021 Kentucky Derby prep race, the Fountain of Youth Stakes, on Feb. 27. Gulfstream's Derby prep races conclude on March 27 with the biggest of them all, the Grade 1 Florida Derby.
For Saturday, the Shug McGaughey-trained Greatest Honour is the 5-2 favorite in the 2021 Holy Bull Stakes odds. Prime Factor (3-1) and Sittin On Go (5-1) are among the other top contenders in the 2021 Holy Bull Stakes field. Post time for the $200,000 race is 4:50 p.m. ET. With a wide-open field set to enter the starting gate on Saturday, you'll want to see the horse racing predictions from proven expert Bob Weir before making any 2021 Holy Bull Stakes picks.
Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir has been handicapping and following horse racing since reading Andy Beyer's landmark handicapping book "Picking Winners" in the late 1980s. Weir is highly invested in the Beyer Speed Figure, a number assigned to every race run by a horse that measures how fast the horse ran. He uses the figure as the backbone of his handicapping. In fact, thanks to his proficiency with speed figures and top-tier handicapping, he landed one of just eight spots on Beyer's figure-making team in 2017, a position he holds to this day.
Weir's methodology has produced multiple five-figure days. In 2014, he hit a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar. The following year, he nailed a $31,000 Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. In 2016 and 2017, Weir qualified for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas.
Now, Weir has studied the 2021 Holy Bull Stakes lineup and has released his picks, predictions and best bets. You can see them all over at SportsLine.
Top 2021 Holy Bull Stakes predictions
One shocker: Weir's top selection is not Greatest Honour, even though he is the 5-2 favorite. Trained by McGaughey, a member of racing's Hall of Fame, and ridden by top jockey Jose Ortiz, Greatest Honour finally entered the winner's circle in his most recent start, a 1/16 miles race at Gulfstream on Dec. 26. He also has a second and two thirds in four career starts.
But in all four starts he has not shown much speed out of the gates; he has been forced to rally from seventh in every start. That does not bode well in this field, which features some talented horses with some early speed. In addition, Gulfstream Park has historically favored speed and not been friendly to late runners.
Another surprise: Weir is high on Sittin On Go, even though he's an underdog at 5-1. This $65,000 purchase has two wins in four career starts. He hasn't raced since finishing sixth, beaten by five lengths, in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28.
Since that race, Sittin On Go has reportedly been training well for his three-year-old debut. "Trainer Dale Romans usually makes his presence known at some point in these Gulfstream Park three-year-old races," Weir said. Weir is using Sittin On Go in all of his 2021 Holy Bull Stakes bets.
How to make 2021 Holy Bull Stakes picks
Weir's top pick is a horse who "could be something special." He also is high a double-digit long shot who is "capable of hitting the board." Weir is including these horses in his 2021 Holy Bull Stakes bets, and so should you. He's sharing which horse to back only at SportsLine.
Who wins the Holy Bull Stakes 2021? And which horses do you need to include in your exactas and trifectas? Check out the latest 2021 Holly Bull Stakes post positions and odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Weir's picks for the Holy Bull Stakes, and find out.
2021 Holy Bull Stakes odds, lineup
| # | Horse | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jirafales | 20-1 |
| 2 | Willy Boi | 10-1 |
| 3 | Papetu | 15-1 |
| 4 | Amount | 6-1 |
| 5 | Tarantino | 8-1 |
| 6 | Prime Factor | 3-1 |
| 7 | Greatest Honour | 5-2 |
| 8 | Sittin On Go | 5-1 |
| 9 | Awesome Gerry | 8-1 |
