Saratoga Vulnerable Favorites, Live Longshots, and Spot Plays: August 18
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SPOT PLAYS AND LIVE LONGSHOTS
Saratoga Race 4, (2:34 ET) - SPOT PLAY
Trainer who has expanded his horizons beyond the jumps is having a memorable Sar meet, having sent out a number of pricey winners as fans continue overlook him. LIFE’S A ROAR (#7, 4-1) was forwardly placed in a similar $20k and really didn’t have much excuse, but this is his third time for Fisher, and given the good barn karma, wouldn’t be surprising if he found a little more follow-through today. – Marty McGee
LIVE LONGSHOTS
ARTIE LUVSTO PARTY (#7, 12-1): This New York-bred optional claiming route is wide open, and while this 5-year-old gelding isn’t the most consistent horse in the world, he ran the field’s top Beyer when claimed from a win at Belmont two starts back; maybe he just didn’t handle the tight-turned track at Finger Lakes last time. -Dave Litfin
Saratoga Race 10, (5:45 ET) - LIVE LONGSHOT
BANK FLOAT (#4, 12-1) exits a very live-looking maiden race here on August 4th, and he showed some interest through the stretch after racing greenly in the early stages; eligible to improve rapidly with that one out of the way. - Mike Beer
VULNERABLE FAVORITES
Well, what’ll it be? Blinks on or off? Former jump jockey takes the hood back off this SCIENZIATO (#4, 2-1), NY-bred maiden whose runner-up finish in a similar so-so spot 2 weeks ago in an obvious attempt to somehow shake him up. May not be the best spot to go chalking, since he shows no “1s” on his paper and therefore is not only quite vulnerable, but several others in here (Transit Express, You Take the Cake) seem equally able, if not more so. – Marty McGee
INVOCATION (#6, 5-2) he is exiting some Monmouth fields with some solid veterans in his races down at Monmouth, but he showed no speed in his last and now cut back to a sprint. Those six seconds also jump off the page. - Chuck Kuehhas
