With just one day until the Midsummer Derby, racing resumes at Saratoga Race Course for a ten-race card that includes a pair of stakes events. The $200k West Point for NY-breds followed by the Waya (G3) headline the card with plenty of other strong action to be had. Here are a few horses I like most to kickoff Travers weekend in New York.
Race 5:
This MSW event for 2YO fillies over the Inner Turf is a competitive one where I landed on second-time starter #3 Bittersweet Memory. The NBS Stable homebred flipped in the paddock earlier this summer before her planned debut then actually competed for the first time on August 1 where she stalked the slow early pace of even-money favorite Voyager and could not go with that one late. The daughter of The Factor ended up finishing a well-beaten third on debut and returns to the races four weeks later for trainer Kelsey Danner. She draws favorably along the inside and benefits from a rider change to the more aggressive Luis Saez. There are a number of young fillies here that should take a step forward with this gal being one of them. She should offer strong value to kick off the Pick 6.
Play: #3 Bittersweet Memory (8-1 ML)
Picks: 3-2-10
Race 7: West Point
Last time #4 Mi Bago took on fellow NY-breds, he dominated the Kingston in frontrunning fashion on June 3. The son of Vekoma has won 2 of 4 over the Saratoga grass and attempts to win in a very similar spot close to three months later for trainer Mark Casse. The difference is the presence of #6 Itsallcomintogetha and #7 Sounds Like a Plan. I am not sure if they are as fast as Mi Bago, but they should at the very least keep him completely honest in the first of two stakes races on the program. I am hopeful this sets things up for 7YO veteran #5 Tonka Warrior. The Cupid gelding has competed mostly in the Midwest against open company foes throughout his career for trainer McLean Robertson. Robertson has given Tonka Warrior time since rattling off two wins and a second going a mile over the grass at Canterbury Downs in a six-week time span. He comes in fresh and should have an honest pace to run at under jockey Julio Hernandez.
Play: #5 Tonka Warrior (8-1 ML)
Picks: 5-8-4
Race 8: Waya (G3)
My final play of the afternoon comes in this 1 3/8-miles excursion over the Inner Turf where I like #1 Evershed. The daughter of Churchill makes the second start of her 4YO campaign for trainer Arnaud Delacour after watching a 5-2-shot control the early tempo in a second-level allowance in Virginia and hang on to win late. That race was at a shorter than ideal distance for the Irish-bred that moves to an inside draw, gets more ground, and attracts the services of Flavien Prat. There is lots to like about the runner-up in last year’s Saratoga Oaks Invitational (G2) that appears to be sitting on a career best run second off the bench.
Play: #1 Evershed (5-1 ML)
Picks: 1-4-7
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