A two-day carryover of $192,793 in the Pick 6 at Del Mar headlines the latter part of the Friday thoroughbred action, but there are plenty of other strong opportunities before that during a solid Saratoga card that features the Shuvee (G2) for older fillies and mares. The $250k race is one of two stakes on the agenda on an afternoon that also offers a trio of maiden special weight events. Here are a couple of horses I like in the maiden races, as well as my thoughts on the feature.
Race 2:
My first play comes in this MSW for 2YO fillies at two-turns over the Inner Turf where I like #5 Margie’s Girl. The Kenny McPeek trainee was hammered down from her double-digit ML on debut in mid-May at Churchill Downs and put forth a solid third-place run after being in tight early costing her position. McPeek wheeled her back on short rest to be a part of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival where she once again ran well, but was caught in chase mode due to the incredibly strong break from the gate by the eventual wire-to-wire winner. The Vekoma filly has shown ability in races that appear to sharp for her and has every reason to relish the added ground based on her bottom side pedigree. The fact Jose Ortiz returns to take the call adds to the appeal.
Play: #5 Margie’s Girl (7-2 ML)
Picks: 5-3-10
Race 6:
My next play comes in this 2YO MSW event for fillies sprinting over the sod where there are plenty of ways to go, but I landed on second-time starter #5 Red Coats Coming. The Army Mule filly was chilly on the tote before her debut on the night of June 20 and did not run great, but also was caught in chase mode most of the way due to the dominant performance from Joel Politi’s Stress Relief. The effort overall does not look great on paper, but that should only help her price. Trainer Joe Sharp thought enough of her to bring her to Saratoga where she gets a big rider upgrade to Luis Saez. Hopefully, the experience under her belt and a better break from the gate lead to a big run on the move from dirt-to-turf.
Play: #5 Red Coats Coming (8-1 ML)
Picks: 5-8-9
Race 8: Shuvee (G2)
I lack a strong opinion in this 1 1/8-mile test for fillies and mares where last year’s 15-length winner #4 Scottish Lassie and #3 Fully Subscribed are expected to take a lot of the public’s attention and deservingly so. Scottish Lassie has not raced often, but she has run some big races when she has competed in the afternoons. That said, she has been unable to piece them together for the most part. She did run a solid third in the Acorn (G1) a year ago before she won the CCA Oaks, but that win came in her third not second start off the bench. Scottish Lassie seems capable of both running off the screen again or putting in a solid underneath effort. Fully Subscribed has been more consistent finishing first or second in six of her seven career starts, including two over this surface. She has been defeated by a pair of very nice horses in her two runner-up efforts so far in 2026, but her last run was still somewhat disappointing. For that reason, I will hope #5 Bless the Broken can put together a career best run in her third start of the form cycle for Brad Cox. She has not been good enough to compete with Shred the Gnar or Nitrogen when the real running started in her last two Grade 1 tries, but she attracts Irad Ortiz Jr. and will be a significantly better price than the two most logical fillies.
Play: #5 Bless the Broken (7-2 ML)
Picks: 5-4-3
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