SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A significant scratch of Doncho from Sunday’s $135,000 Disco Partner Stakes figures to change the complexion of the 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint at Saratoga. Doncho, coming off a course-record performance at Ellis Park on Aug. 8, loomed as the main speed in the Disco Partner. Michelle Lovell, the trainer of Doncho, said the 4-year-old gelding got cast in his stall Friday morning, the day he was supposed to ship here from Churchill Downs, so she kept him home. “He’s okay, but I couldn’t do it,” Lovell said. “It was a hard decision.” The potential speed now may be 7-year-old Dancing Buck, who won the Elusive Quality Stakes at Aqueduct in May 2024 on the front end, but who hasn’t run since finishing sixth in the Grade 1 Jaipur here in June 2024. Dancing Buck, trained by Michelle Nevin, has the rail and Kendrick Carmouche. Step Forward, drawn in the extreme outside, pressed the pace when second in an allowance here on July 5 for trainer Mark Casse. Pace could be key to the chances of Big Invasion, who gets his 6-year-old campaign started a little later than planned in the Disco Partner. Big Invasion, who has won 9 of 22 starts, has not raced since he finished 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last November at Del Mar. He was entered in an allowance race at Keeneland in April but was scratched due to an injured splint bone. :: Bet Smarter at Saratoga. Unlock DRF data and expert analysis all meet long. Save with a Saratoga Handicapping Package from DRF.  “It was the most untimely thing there ever was,” trainer Miguel Clement said. “It’s very odd for a 6-year-old to get a splint, but he’s sound, never been lame, training great, looking forward to making up for lost time. I expect a good performance out of him.” Big Invasion has given many good performances at Saratoga, as he is a three-time stakes winner sprinting on turf here. Of course, two of those wins came as a 3-year-old in 2022. In 2023, he got beat a neck in the Harvey Pack Stakes. Last year, he won the Harvey Pack. Dylan Davis, aboard for Big Invasion’s last two victories, is reunited with him on Sunday. While Clement said he doesn’t expect Big Invasion to need a race off the 10-month layoff, he does have other concerns, like an outside draw and potential lack of pace. “I wish we drew a bit more inside and I wish there was a touch more pace in the race for us, but that’s okay, he’s a very good horse, maybe he’ll overcome it all,” Clement said. The good news for many in this field is Bring Theband Home is not in the race. He dominated both the Harvey Pack and the Grade 2 Troy Stakes here this summer but is pointing to the Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine in October. Twenty Six Black, trained by Horacio De Paz, finished a late-running second in the Troy, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by Bring Theband Home. The pace was super fast in the Troy, but De Paz believes Twenty Six Black is not pace dependent. He retains Flavien Prat, who had ridden Works for Me – also in this field – in his last start. “He may sit closer, I think Prat knowing him now. Depends how fast they go. I think he could be close if he wanted to,” De Paz said. Works for Me, trained by Joe Lee, has two wins and two seconds from his last four starts. Lee said Works for Me got nicked up in the Harvey Pack, which forced him to come into the Disco Partner with only two works since that July 5 race. Luis Saez is named to ride. Alogon dead-heated for win with Works for Me in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship last November. He finished a good third in the Grade 1 Jaipur here in June before running a little flat when fourth in the Troy. Eamonn, trained by Joe Orseno, was stuck on the also-eligible list of Saturday’s Kentucky Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs, so he will run here. Outlaw Kid, second in last year’s Troy and third in this year’s Harvey Pack, and Bold Journey, second in the Ashley T. Cole for New York-breds, complete the field. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.