Saratoga Vulnerable Favorites, Live Longshots, and Spot Plays: July 31
Saratoga spot plays, live longshots, and vulnerable favorites for Wednesday, July 31, 2013.
DRF StaffJul 30, 2013
Saratoga spot plays, live longshots, and vulnerable favorites for Wednesday, July 31, 2013.
Palace Malice, the textbook definition of a late bloomer, backed up his Belmont breakthrough with a facile score in the Jim Dandy, settling nicely in the backstretch under Mike Smith before spurting clear in the lane and cruising to a one-length victory over Will Take Charge, who also put together a nice effort after subpar races in the Preakness and Belmont.
After reeling off three consecutive one-sided stakes victories, Dance to Bristol finally had to work for her money, overcoming a tough trip before gamely running down the pacesetting Classic Point to register a well-earned three-quarter-length decision in Monday’s $200,000 Honorable Miss at Saratoga.
Trainer Jonas Czernyson has two nice fillies qualified for the Hambletonian Oaks Final.
As if trainer Todd Pletcher’s arsenal wasn’t strong enough already, he’s also got two more of his big guns, Graydar and Shanghai Bobby, back on the work tab and getting ready to launch their comebacks later this season.
Jeremey Day's analysis of the Wednesday 7/31 card at Balmoral Park. Included is a suggested Pick 5 play ($40,000 Guaranteed Pool).
The $100,000 purse of the Graduation Stakes pales compared with the $1.5 million expected to be wagered Wednesday in the Del Mar pick six.
The desired meeting between the three winners of this year’s Triple Crown races in the $1 million Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 24 is in jeopardy after Preakness winner Oxbow emerged from Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational with a wrenched right front ankle.
Fort Larned carried 117 pounds when picking up his first Grade 1 win in the 2012 Whitney. He returns to defend that title here Saturday under high weight of 122 pounds.
When Suffolk Downs had a hand in the recent retirement of Convocation, a 7-year-old gelding once owned by Centennial Farms who had dropped to the bottom of the claiming ranks at the track offering the lowest purses on the East Coast, the horse got his happy ending. Although Convocation’s story is wonderful, it is nothing out of the ordinary at this track.