Whitney Week continues on Friday afternoon where Saratoga Race Course has a strong 11-race card that kicks off at the normal 1:10 PM local time. The slate is led by a pair of Grade 2 races over the lawn and several attractive horizontal wagering opportunities. Here are a few horses I like most on the agenda.
Race 4:
Trainer Linda Rice got off to a slow start to the Saratoga summer meeting, but has begun to pick things up late evidenced by her 6 for 17-record with a $2.56 ROI over the last seven days. Rice holds a strong 1-2-punch in this state-bred second-level allowance at six-furlongs over the main track with #3 Anyway and #5 Three B’s. Neither will surprise, but I prefer the longer price of the duo Three B’s. The son of Collected moves back to his preferred surface after trying a grass stakes race in late June at Aqueduct. Rice has given her colt some time since and brings him back in a much more favorable spot. He has run well in his four starts over this surface with a win and two seconds and gets a massive rider upgrade to Irad Ortiz Jr. Hopefully, he can run this group down in the final furlong.
Play: #5 Three B’s (5-1 ML)
Picks: 5-3-2
Race 9: Hall of Fame (G2)
The first of two graded stakes over the sod is for 3YOs at one-mile over the Inner Turf where I expect #1 Touch of Fire to be a difficult colt to beat. The Juddmonte homebred brought a 3 for 4-record to the Spa with him for the Belmont Derby (G1) where he drew to the far outside and attempted to get the nine-furlong distance for the first time. Flavien Prat was aboard that day and opted to send aggressively from his far outside draw, which clearly used up far more of his energy than if he had been posted along the inside. He understandably tired late to finish fourth. The Brad Cox runner gets a far more favorable rail draw in his second local try and turns back to the more favorable eight-furlong distance. Combine that with some class relief and tactical speed and you have a runner that should be prominent early and tough to catch late.
Play: #1 Touch of Fire (5-2 ML)
Picks: 1-3-9
Race 10: Saratoga Oaks (G2)
The other graded stakes on the card is for 3YO fillies and run at 1 3/16-miles where the pace is likely to be dawdling. This is unlikely to benefit ML favorites #2 Fitz Right or #6 Faithful Departed. Of the two I prefer Faithful Departed, but am concerned she may have too much to do late. Therefore, I will take a swing with the other Chad Brown runner #7 Just Aloof. The Justify filly broke well from her inside draw last time out in the Belmont Oaks (G1) and appeared poised to find a prominent spot early, but got shuffled back when there were a few others being ridden far more aggressively to her outside heading into the first turn. She was eventually able to find a favorable inside position on the backstretch, but her best chance that day was on the front end. She should get that today in a field full of fillies that lack speed outside of long shot #3 Code. I expect Dylan Davis to send more aggressively in this gal’s second start off the bench. Hopefully, if she is able to control the tempo, she has enough stamina to seal the deal. The price should be right to gamble.
Play: #7 Just Aloof (12-1 ML)
Picks: 7-6-2
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