Hersh: Saratoga pick three play for Saturday, July 26

Races 5-7

Trying to leverage two horses I like, RANKHASPRIVILEGES (#1) in race 5 and CELEBRATED TALENT (#3) in race 7. The former is 12-1 on the morning line, the latter 8-1, and getting either home would ensure a healthy profit here.

Seems the pace in race 5, a first-level allowance at nine furlongs, is going to be demanding, and morning-line favorite ROCKET TIME (#2) is likely to be part of it. Ken McPeek has two entrants, the horse I like, Rankhasprivileges, and the front-runner CJ’S AWESOME (#3), who could function as a rabbit for his stablemate. I have to include the Belmont-dropping MATUSZAK (#7) as an “A” since he handles the distance and could get a setup.

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Race 5

Race 6 is a 1 1/2-mile, $35,000 claimer on grass with a full field, and if that seems like a recipe for chaos, it is. I don’t pretend to have a firm grasp and am spreading accordingly. Deeper pockets or bolder players would hit the “all” button and be done with it, but there are several I just can’t see winning.

In race 7, the long-layoff comebacker Celebrated Talent hails from the Kiaran McLaughlin barn, which is as sharp as any outfit at getting horses ready to fire after a break. His work pattern is quite encouraging, and he’s good enough to beat these if returning ready. I’ll use three “Bs” to save the day in case I get this far and am wrong on the single “A.” At $10 a pop for a $1 wager, the all “A” combo can be punched a few times.