Sunday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Sturdy finally gets another chance to go nine furlongs
Saratoga | Race 1 | Post Time 1:10 p.m. (ET)
The Sunday opener only drew a field of six, but there appears to be some talent in this two-turn maiden affair. Chillax (#3) should go favored after finishing second in his two prior starts. He clearly improved when stretched out in distance in Kentucky this spring, but he got pretty good trips in both of those starts. He saved ground at Keeneland two back, then last time he stalked outside before ranging up menacingly at the quarter pole. However, he was never able to get by the front-runner. That's now twice in a row that he's flattened out after looking like a potential winner in mid-stretch, so it's fair to wonder if some extra distance will suit him. 
Classicist (#4) returns from a long layoff for Todd Pletcher after showing promise as a 2-year-old. He looks like one who is cut out for two turns, but this is a demanding distance for a horse coming off such a long layoff. Secured Lender (#5) is the Chad Brown representative in here, as he stretches back out around two turns, doing so on dirt for the first time. He made a wide move before flattening out going shorter last time, but I don't love the way he finishes off his races. Kavanaugh (#6) didn't do much running on turf last time, but he ran well when he tried this distance on dirt two back. He got steadied approaching the half-mile pole and did well to regain his momentum to get up for second. His trainer, John Ortiz, has had plenty of success at recent Saratoga meets.
My top pick is Sturdy (#1), who finished behind likely favorite Chillax when they met at Churchill last time. However, Sturdy didn't receive an ideal trip that day, getting buried inside on a day when that probably wasn't the best place on the racetrack. He got mildly shuffled back in upper stretch and could never recover while always glued to the rail. He ran a better race two back in a tougher spot for the level at Aqueduct. The key for him may be stretching back out to nine furlongs, since his only prior attempt at this distance was the best effort of his career, a narrow defeat behind future stakes horses Corporate Power and Batten Down, for which he earned a 104 TimeformUS Speed Figure. He gets a rider switch to Manny Franco and may have an opportunity to attain better forward position from this inside post.