Litfin: How I'd play Saratoga on Wednesday, Aug. 6
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Welcome to what was opening day back when Saratoga was The August Place to Be. There are four weeks and 24 racing days remaining, and we already have 16 days and 161 races in the books this summer.
I’m probably going to get myself in trouble early on Wednesday’s card because I like a jumper in the 12:25 p.m. opener and am highly suspicious of the 3-5 morning-line favorite in race 2, which, on steeplechase days, begins the pick five as well as the early pick four.
In the jump-up allowance, Witor is back after two forgettable efforts in early spring, but there are three reasons to think the 20-1 morning-line shot might wake up. Trainer Todd Wyatt is 9 for 24 this year, including a win at this meet. The gelding showed some talent through his initial steeplechases, including one over the local course. He comes out of a starter allowance where the second finisher was All Together, the runner-up in last year’s Turf Writers Cup and Lonesome Glory, both Grade 1 events; none of today’s opponents have more than one jump win.
On paper, Moonluck has to fall down to lose race 2 based on two second-place finishes last fall at Belmont. One of those was against Bakken, who has since won an allowance race, been a close second in the Grade 2 True North, and been scratched from the Grade 1 A.G. Vanderbilt as the 2-1 morning-line choice.
Moonluck’s Beyer Speed Figures of 81 and 80 tower over the field, but why is this 4-year-old colt by Malibu Moon, who sold for $225,000 as a juvenile, in a $20,000 maiden claimer after posting just two slow published workouts since mid-June?
I’ll pay to find out and try Yankee Dime. He is a dropdown as well, but Nick Zito wins with this type of move, and the gelding followed a speed duel in his first start of the year with a bullet work over the main track here.
I’m lacking much in the way of strong opinions beyond the obvious the rest of the way, except to note the following:
Spun Silky (race 5) ran two bang-up races in Saratoga turf sprints last year and rates a look at 8-1 or so.
Zo Zo (race 6) will improve sharply with blinkers on after an unfocused debut at 7-5 downstate.
Sole Train (race 10) has been gelded since his last start nearly two months ago and has worked three times locally on the grass; it’s now-or-never time as he drops to maiden claimers.