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Saturday’s Race Recap from Saratoga:
(All odds US)
Saratoga:
Race 1: SCRATCH
Race 5: 2nd@ 3.05/1
Race 6: 1st@ 1.05/1 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Race 7: 3rd@ 5.20/1
Race 9: 6th@ 5.30/1
Race 11: 1st@ 3.75/1 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
We scratched from Race 1. In Race 5, Jersey Pearl broke well but heavy favorite Dazzling Blue didn’t and that left Alva Starr all alone on the lead and she blew the doors off the field winning by almost 9 lengths. Jersey Pearl ran well to be second. In Race 6 we got on the board with Agate Road, who was last until the far turn behind a dawdling early pace, and exploded in the stretch to win by a neck. In Race 6, Jefferson Street raced with the early pace, took his run on the far turn and weakened late to third. In Race 9, Fancy Feline got a curious ride by Joel Rosario. She was last early as expected but was still well back by the far turn and not really persevered with. Once they hit the top of the stretch, he began shaking the reins at her and she was moving best late, finishing sixth. She’ll be one to watch next time out. In Race 11 - the Jockey Club Gold Cup - Bright Future proved that the last replay was no fluke, took the lead entering the stretch and just held off Proxy for his first Grade 1 win!
We’re at our penultimate race day of the Saratoga season! Fast and firm conditions are on tap to close out the meet and with our any further ado let’s get to the winners!
Saratoga:
Race 6: Social Affair - 1 pt win (US Morning Line Odds: 20/1)
Two-year-old maiden fillies sprint 7 furlongs here and in this field of ten we’ve got four debut runners, two making their dirt debut and two who lost by more than 20 lengths in their debut effort. I’m siding with one of the +20 length debut losers, Social Affair, for the barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who’s celebrating a birthday this weekend. First time out at Ellis Park, Social Affair did no running beneath a rider I’ve never heard of. She has had six listed works since that start, including two five filing drills (my favorite!). This daughter of Munnings cost $425K so I’m assuming there’s more here than she showed in her first start. What I like most of all though (and something we benefitted from at 16/1 earlier in the meet) are Wayne Lukas’ stats with runners just like these. In the last five years at Saratoga, he’s 4 for 22 (18%) with two-year-olds making their second career start in dirt sprints with an average payoff of $24.25. At the 20/1 morning line and the giant rider upgrade, I’m interested to see what this filly brings to the ballgame today.
Best of luck to all our members playing Sunday’s races from Saratoga!