Fornatale: How I'd play Saratoga for Sunday, July 26

As always at Saratoga, there will be a lot of focus on Sunday's late pick four, but I'm more interested in the pick three that starts in Race 8, as it's comprised entirely of the type of races I like to bet: higher class routes.

RACE 8: I'm really interested to see what TACTICUS (#8) has to offer here. The 1 1/8-mile distance could pose a challenge for many of the runners here, but not him. He owns multiple wins going longer, and I'm happy to see that they both came at Southwell. Southwell is the synthetic surface in the United Kingdom that most resembles our dirt, and form frequently translates from one to the other.

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I'll also look to use LUNAR ROVER (#11), who ran a career-best Beyer Speed Figure over this course and distance last year, albeit in the mud, as well as the obvious UNBRIDLED JUAN (#3), who could be poised for a forward move in his second start off the layoff and should relish the distance based on pedigree.

A's: 8, 3

B's: 11

C's: NONE

RACE 9: I'm willing to take on the morning-line favorites in this 1 3/8-mile turf race but I feel obligated to include third choice TWEET KITTEN (#8), who fits on form and figures and is sent out by Chad Brown, who is off to a smoking start at the meeting. Still, this could be a spot to find a bigger price.

OLYMPIC BID (#2) is an obvious candidate. He has a profile featured in Mike Hogan's excellent Bet This, Not That column: at Saratoga over the past five years, Michael Matz was 70-13-7-8 for a $4.26 return on investment entering the meet.

Getting funkier still, I'll throw in LONG LEGACY (#4) -- who better than jumps legend Jonathan Sheppard to get one prepared to run this far? And I'll also use TOBIAS (#3) who has a really fun pedigree (by Arch out of Secretariat dam Listen Well) and who has run well at the distance.

A's: 2, 8

B's: 3, 4

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Race 10: The pay leg is the 99th running of the CCA Oaks, with 3-year-o0ld fillies going 1 1/8 miles on dirt. I'm chalky here with CURLINA (#3) looking the most obvious winner off her rough-trip win in the Acorn. I'll give I'M A CHATTERBOX (#8) one more chance as well. No, I'm not convinced she wants to go this far but she was so darn good in New Orleans last winter that I'll keep the faith.

The longshot I'll include for a penny is WONDER GAL (#7). I thought she had a rough go of things in the Mother Goose and I've been a fan since her second start, when she wowed me in the Saratoga paddock with her size and strength. She's a must include for your vertical exotics at a square price.

A's: 3, 8

B's: NONE

C's: 7