King: Holy Boss stands out in Amsterdam

In examining the past performances of Saturday’s Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga, some might conclude that March and Barbados are the classiest runners in the field. March is a multiple graded stakes winner, and Barbados is a graded stakes winner who also boasts another stakes triumph and a graded-stakes placing.

But look beyond the grades of the races and into the company kept in ungraded stakes by other entrants, and Holy Boss seems as classy as they are, at least based on his last race.

In winning the ungraded, $100,000 Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Day, he defeated a field that has to be considered far above average for a race with that purse.

The runner-up, Victory Is Sweet, who previously won his maiden with a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, came back to win a first-level allowance at Belmont Park against older horses and is entered in the Amsterdam. Gimme Da Lute, third in the Chick Lang, returned to edge the well-regarded Prospect Park in the Affirmed Stakes and Los Alamitos Derby. In addition, fifth-place Hebbronville also has won two straight since the Chick Lang – a second-level allowance at Ellis Park and the Grade 3 Jersey Shore at Monmouth on July 25.

Even Grand Bili, who never threatened in finishing 10th in the Chick Lang, won the Grade 3 Carry Back at Gulfstream on July 5.

Beyond the company he defeated in the Chick Lang, Holy Boss also ran quickly, posting a 100 Beyer, the top last-race figure in the Amsterdam. And best of all, the trip he figures to get Saturday could be very much like the one he got in the Chick Lang, in which he was on the outside, pressing the pace.

I suppose some bettors might be put off that Holy Boss hasn’t run since May 16, but I don’t see that as an issue. He appears to have missed a work or two in early June, with no breezes between his May 25 and June 14 workouts, but since that time, he has trained consistently and quickly when asked to do so.

I expect him to be ready and prove superior to his Amsterdam counterparts.

Bowling Green

I see contention running four deep in the Bowling Green, with Red Rifle, War Dancer, Imagining, and Innovation Economy as the major players.

Having handicapped the race before the morning line came out, I was a bit surprised to see my choice, Imagining, at just 3-1 on the line. I had hoped for a little bit of a higher price since he is coming off a couple of fifth-place finishes.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he drifts up due to the expected popularity of 5-2 choice Innovation Economy, who has won three straight for trainer Chad Brown, including the Belmont Gold Cup.

As for the rationale for liking Imagining, I believe he exits an exceedingly tough Grade 1 United Nations, and though he was fifth, he was only 1 1/2 lengths from second place. It was a deceptively good effort.

He also is fond of the Saratoga grass course, where he has a win and two seconds in three starts.

West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker’s Cup

No race Saturday at Mountaineer holds more appeal to me than the last on the card, the West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker’s Cup at a mile and 70 yards on turf.

There, Aztec Brave sits at an appealing 9-2 on the morning line. Claimed for $30,000 in October by trainer Joe Sharp, this gelding has shown dramatic improvement since being stretched out to routes and raced on turf.

He won a pair of turf allowances and placed in another over the winter at Fair Grounds and followed that up this spring with a stakes win at Aqueduct and a close third in the Grade 3 Red Bank at Monmouth Park.

Aztec Brave didn’t have the best trip in the Red Bank on May 16, having to try to rally in tight quarters down along the rail. He finished reasonably well but seemed a little intimidated.

With other speed in this race, he figures to play the role of a stalker and ought to get a good, clean trip from post 4.

An earlier version of this article misidentified a grass race being run Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. It is the Bowling Green, not the Sword Dancer.