We’re rolling now. From Sovereignty and Nysos a week ago to a wonderful Whitney Day card at Saratoga and a fine renewal of the Clement Hirsch at Del Mar. Good racing is always better when you’re cashing tickets. Clement Hirsch Handicappers can access more information than ever in their quest to correctly parse form. Sometimes an ocean of data can drown obvious considerations. Take the Clement Hirsch – take it at face value. Kopion. Brilliant sprinter. In six starts around one turn she has five wins and a second. Kopion twice has raced two turns. Going one mile, facing a formidable foe (at the time) in Kinza, Kopion finished second, losing a half-length from the stretch call to the wire. Going 1 1/16 miles in the Santa Anita Oaks, Kopion pressed the pace, backed up steadily, and lost by 16 lengths. What about Richi? In her native Chile, Richi didn’t even run in a dirt race shorter than seven furlongs. She performed well going seven and 7 1/2, winning at the Group 1 level, but not until Richi stretched out to 1 1/4 miles, in a November 2023 Group 1, did she hit her South American peak. Purchased, exported to America, and turned over to trainer Bob Baffert, Richi sprinted in her first three races here. She ran well, though no match for Kopion going seven furlongs in the Santa Monica. In March, Richi tried a two-turn mile and responded with her best American race to date, setting a strong pace, worn down late by Cavalieri, who at the time might have been the continent’s leading older female dirt-route horse. On April 19, out to 1 1/16 miles, Richi hit another peak, winning off by 4 1/2 lengths after setting another solid pace, her longest American start yielding her highest Beyer, a 102. :: Play to Win at Del Mar! Get DRF Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, and Betting Strategies all in one place.  Until proven otherwise, Richi’s the superior route horse, yet in the 1 1/16-mile Hirsch, Kopion is favored. Richi might not have beaten much in her 1 1/4-mile Group 1, but she led from the start and drew clear past the five-sixteenths marker without being asked for much. Her recent work is strong. How does the pace work out, with her rail-drawn stablemate Seismic Beauty another pace player? Don’t really care. Richi will take the fight to Kopion, out-stay her, and is the value play in the Hirsch. Fourstardave Five wins from six starts, his lone loss a half-length defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, Johannes topped the American middle-distance turf division in 2024. Cool that he’s finally back in action. Interesting that connections for a comeback spot eschewed the Eddie Read on July 27, a race in their backyard, in favor of this cross-country ship. It’s not something trainer Tim Yakteen usually does. He’s never run a horse at Saratoga. Search starters in Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, and New York, and Yakteen over the last five years is 20-0-2-3. Johannes to some extent proved in the BC Mile he wasn’t just beating suspect competition, though that was not a vintage Mile. Am I looking for reasons to play against this favorite? Absolutely, and two other shorter prices, Spirit of St. Louis and Deterministic, probably need another furlong for their best. And with respect to Think Big and Win for the Money, I’m taking My Boy Prince to lead all the way. Deterministic can’t keep up with him early – no one can. Moreover, My Boy Prince has raced effectively over longer trips in the past, quietly has turned in three excellent performances this season, and showed a little upper stretch burst three back at Aqueduct suggesting he can make the most of a pace-dictating trip. :: Get exclusive Saratoga Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Saratoga Derby Second out, in his turf debut, Capitol Hill pulled too hard most of the trip, never fully settling. But when his rider got him off the fence and into the clear at the furlong pole – whoosh! A superior turn of foot, especially from such a bulky beast. Capitol Hill’s worst grass race among three came at the longest distance he tried, but I doubt it was distance that produced that humdrum Keeneland showing. And in the Manila at Saratoga, Capitol Hill made a mighty run to nab second behind high-class, odds-on Zulu Kingdom, getting his last quarter in 22-flat. I think Mr. Mott had this race in mind even before the Manila. Mott trains Capitol Hill’s brother Resilience, and trained two uncles, After Market and Courageous Cat, to win Saratoga graded turf stakes. Capitol Hill needs to step up – and he’s going to. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.