Best Horse Races Around the Country for California Bettors: July 30

California horse betting enthusiasts don’t have to just bet on horse races happening in California.

With simulcast options, and with several great horse betting apps out there, you can bet on horse races around the country from anywhere in the country. And this weekend, around the country …

It’s Epicenter against Zandon, with Early Voting and Tawny Port in the mix.

Is this a replay of the Kentucky Derby or the Triple Crown’s big races?

No, but it’s close. And it actually is a rematch of the Preakness Stakes.

California horse bettors who witness the nation’s best West Coast racing circuit at Del Mar this weekend can watch its East Coast equivalent, Saratoga, produce a loaded card of its own on Saturday. They can wager remotely on the Saratoga card, which starts at 10:05 a.m. ET on Saturday, via TVG and other outlets.

Use our exclusive promo code at TVG and get a $200 risk-free bet on horse races around the world!

Here’s a miniature nationwide horse race betting sweep for California gamblers, who are used to wagering in the morning to meet East Coast starting times in the NFL.

Jim Dandy Headlines Saratoga Horse Race Betting

The weekend slate at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York, is a dandy. In fact, it’s Jim Dandy. 

That’s the name of the headlined $600,000 race which has most of the nation’s top horses in it.

Epicenter had the 2022 Kentucky Derby in his pocket until Rich Strike came from the clouds and stole the Run for the Roses at 80-to-1. Zandon was about to complete a nice exacta box with Epicenter for California simulcast bettors before the Rich Strike rally. Epicenter finished second, Zandon third.

READ MORE: Horse Betting Advice for This Weekend at Del Mar

Early Voting skipped the Derby and won the Preakness Stakes in late May. His connections love a break of at least two months between races. He got to the lead early and held off Epicenter to win the Preakness. The Jim Dandy race is even shorter — 1 1/8 miles compared to 1 3/16 for the Preakness — and his early speed may be even more valuable.

Tawny Port was seventh in the Kentucky Derby and came back to win the Ohio Derby. He has sharp recent form that may get overlooked. Western River finished fourth, narrowly missing in a photo for second in the Peter Pan in the slop at Belmont Park.

Top finishers in this race will likely compete in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes on Aug. 27.

The Jim Dandy is Race 9.

Race 8 is another solid matchup. Six horses of high pedigree are headed by Jackie’s Warrior, who has won six of seven. The overall field has credentials and this will be an intriguing matchup.

But this is only a battle of names.

California bettors, used to the big fields and prolific payouts at Del Mar last weekend, see the rest of the Saratoga card filled with the breeding grounds for big bucks.

Nice purses, large fields, multiple entries, and a good caliber of horses ensure that quality entries  will be overlooked.

Here are a couple wagering perspectives on big fields:

1. They are going to pay well. Prices on the winner and exotics will be more than one thinks.
2. For $12, it might be worth making a stab like this: Take your favorite horse, put him in a 10-cent superfecta key with five other horses.

We’ll use the key horse as the No. 1 here, with the others being 2-6 for the sake of demonstration. Put the 1 in the first spot with 2-6 in the next three slots. He must win and the others must fill up the second through fourth place in any order. Next, put the 1 in the second position with the same horses. He must finish there and they must fill in the first, third and fourth positions.

This is worth considering if you love longshots to run well.

It’s also economical. Bettors can spend a fortune chasing elusive “exotics” in big fields. And on a day in which there are many of them, that can drain the budget quickly.

In this example, you have the right key and five others, for $12. If the field has 12 horses, you have covered half of it and left some money in your pocket for other races.

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Other Top Horse Betting Options Around the Country

Here’s a look at some other Saturday racing cards.

Monmouth Park, New Jersey

This racetrack just saw Cyberknife win the Haskell last weekend, and it presents a sample of betting preferences. Monmouth features an average-size field for its highest stakes and large fields for its low-level races.

There also is a healthy lineup of turf races on a card that starts at 9:15 a.m. ET.

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Laurel Park, Maryland

Laurel Park, which starts at 9:40 a.m. ET, touts its biggest five-race package.

This type of program is a comfort zone to some players. They get used to watching a similar level of racing at a particular track and may ultimately get a feel for what type of running style and which trainers do best in these matchups.

Sometimes it’s good to watch and make no bet or a light “action” bet just to get an angle to be used later.

It’s all about finding an edge you can use somewhere. And where that comes from does not matter.

Gulfstream Park, Florida

Gulfstream Park is all in on the low-level, large-field presentation.

Its highest purse is the $75,000 Bear’s Den Stakes. Otherwise, this card starting at 9:20 a.m. ET has a slew of big fields. The first has 12. In a similar situation last Saturday, no horse was listed below 4-to-1 odds. The $ 1 superfecta, for anybody who could nab it, paid $7,639.

What this means is that the track has become a longshot heaven, especially in the second and third positions.

Keep your eye on the Rainbow Pick 6. It’s a 20-cent wager covering the final six races of the day. When no single ticket hits all six, 70% of the pool goes back to bettors with the most winners and 30% gets carried over.

Good luck finding your angle and comfort zone. The races can serve both as betting venues and your own scouting combine for future opportunities.