Opening week of the traditional Saratoga summer meet and 1/ST BET and Xpressbet’s 1 Million 1/ST Rewards Points Late Pick 4 Hit & Split continue on Saturday afternoon for a strong 12-race card headlined by the Diana (G1). The featured race goes through Lael Stables’ She Feels Pretty, but Chad Brown has won the event 8 of the last 9 years. The upstate New York native has a strong 1-2-punch that gives him a shot to earn his record 10th Diana victory. Let’s get to it!
Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play.
Race 9:
Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 5 Gilded Craken; 9 Then
Backups: 1 Move to Gold
Forecast: The sequence kicks off with a challenging first-level allowance over the lawn where Chad Brown’s uncoupled entry of #1 Move to Gold and #1A Debt Limit were made the 5-2-ML favorite by oddsmaker David Aragona. Of the two, Move to Gold looks far stronger on paper despite coming off a year layoff. The Twirling Candy colt kept solid company throughout his 3YO campaign and Brown is 13 for 48 with a $2.65 ROI over the last 5 years at the Spa with turf routers off 200 to 400-day layoffs. Move to Gold draws to the far outside making him tough to get excited about at the likely price, but he has a significant chance nonetheless.
#5 Gilded Craken is an intriguing option making his second start off the break for trainer Joe Sharp. The McCraken gelding stalked from his far outside draw in a competitive allowance event at Churchill Downs won by a Godolphin runner that came right back to win at Ellis Park lats weekend. Gilded Craken hit the board in both of his efforts over this course last summer and appears to have a tactical advantage. Hopefully, Jose Ortiz can ration out of his speed for the entire 9-furlong journey. If he struggles to seal the deal, hopefully #9 Then picks things up. The Not This Time colt raced against the turf profile at Keeneland on April 19 when he came with a wide move from off the pace to finish third. He attracts Irad Ortiz Jr. for the first time and should be finishing well in his first local try.
Race 10:
Grade: C+
Main Ticket: 4 General Partner
Backups: None
Forecast: I am far less creative in this high-level allowance at 7-furlongs over the main track where #4 General Partner is the 5-2-ML choice. The Klaravich Stables colt bounced back from a pair of disappointing efforts to kick off his 4YO campaign with a stress-free victory over the off going last month. The Speightstown colt has underachieved a bit since his runner-up in the Champagne (G1) in 2023, but he loves this racetrack and should get a perfect inside stalking trip under regular rider Flavien Prat. Single city in a race where several are in with a big chance if General Partner puts in a clunker.
Race 11: Diana (G1)
Grade: B-
Main Ticket: 5 Dynamic Pricing; 1 She Feels Pretty
Backups: None
Forecast: Things could get a little chalky if both General Partner and #1 She Feels Pretty both get home as likely favorites in the late Pick 4. If you are high on both of their chances, I recommend taking stands against the favorites in the first and final leg or going thin and trying to hit this multiple times.
She Feels Pretty is certainly the one to beat. The Karakontie filly has rattled off 4 straight graded stakes wins, including a half-length victory in the New York (G1) last month. She makes her third start of the form cycle and brings in the strongest resume, but if I am poking holes I could wonder how she will perform if she gets caught in tight along the rail during the early and middle stages. Most of her recent wins have come with clean outside stalking trips or with extremely favorable ones like she got in the QEII Cup (G1) last fall. Perhaps this will be her undoing?
#5 Dynamic Pricing is the filly I give the best chance of besting She Feels Pretty. The daughter of Night of Thunder has been a better horse since returning off the layoff in May for Chad Brown. She has come from off the pace to win a pair of recent graded stakes in New York, including her upset in the Just A Game (G1) last month. If Dylan Davis can work out another trip, she should be set for her best.
Race 12:
Grade: B
Main Ticket: 1 Regalton; 6 Girls Rock
Backups: None
Forecast: I am hopeful to beat the two ML favorites in this MSW turf sprint for fillies and mares to close out things out. I like #1 Regalton most. The Zouster filly has been freshened up by trainer George Weaver after chasing a serious sprinter around the synthetic at Gulfstream Park on May 1. The winner that day, Luna Louska has now rattled off 3 consecutive wins, including a stakes victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis on the Fourth of July. Expect Luis Saez to send this gal aggressively from her inside draw.
I also like #6 Girls Rock. The Maclean’s Music filly was moved to the grass two-back by trainer Whit Beckman and ran quite well to finish second to a Brian Lynch trainee that has won 3 in a row, including the Pea Patch Stakes at Ellis Park last weekend. She did not find her normal prominent spot in the early going last time, but still found a way to finish third. I like her chances to run a big one, assuming she can avoid another slow start.
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