Remsen Stakes 2023 Picks

By Jarrod Horak

The road to Kentucky Derby 2024 continues at Aqueduct on Saturday, December 2, and I have included Remsen Stakes 2023 picks below. The Grade 2 event for 2-year-olds has a $250,000 purse and the ten entrants will be traveling 1 1/18 miles on the main track. It is the 9th race on Dec. 2 and the top five finishers will earn Derby points (10-5-3-2-1). 

Remsen Stakes 2023 Picks & Final Time Ratings 

Domestic Product split a 10-horse field in his six panel debut at Saratoga on Aug. 5, and he never got seriously involved at 5-1 that day. He added blinkers and stretched out to 1 1/8 miles on Oct. 27, and he attended to pace and pushed clear to graduate by 4 1/2 lengths. Manny Franco seemingly chose this one over Sierra Leone, and he is the only entrant with experience and a win at nine panels.

Dornoch is a highly regarded $325k son of Good Magic. He landed the place in his dirt sprint bow in the slop on July 29, and was clearly second best as the beaten favorite while still a maiden in the Sapling on Aug. 26. He made the lead, turned away a mid race challenge, and kicked clear as the chalk in a nice special weight victory at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland on Oct. 14. He should be in the hunt throughout under his winning rider Luis Saez.

Drum Roll Please was 6th of 10 in the slop in his dirt sprint bow at Saratoga on July 29, and Dornoch was second that day. He ran into subsequent Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity hero Locked at one mile second time out, and he was 13 lengths clear of the show finisher. He chased from the outside post and picked up his first win as the favorite in a local flat mile maiden race on Oct. 6. Brad Cox excels with his recent graduates trying winners for the first time, and this Hard Spun colt will probably work out a decent stalking trip under his winning rider Javier Castellano.  

Sierra Leone is a $2.3 million Gun Runner colt exiting a professional debut victory from off the pace at one mile. He earned a decent late pace rating in his Aqueduct bow and he probably won’t have any issues with the added ground of this race. He will have to run faster. 

Remsen Stakes 2023 Picks

The Remsen is the eighth race in my Kentucky Derby 2024 video series, and my top choices have one win and a pair of runner-up finishes. I will cover each points race on the road to the Derby. Check out my Remsen Stakes 2023 picks video below.