Race 4:
Magnifier (#4)
I think this horse is going to get an aggressive ride from Kendrick Carmouche in a race that doesn’t feature much speed.
Never was given a chance last time at Gulfstream when he was taken back and steadied early while buried down inside.
Danny Gargan is very selective about the horses he starts at Saratoga, so I think it’s meaningful that he’s shipping this one up from Florida.
5-1 on ML
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The Saratoga main track should be dried out now but turf courses still wet, which is always at least a little cause for pause, but still diving in with a few plays on the Sunday card.

Race 4 ($36)
$20 win Love My Honey (#2)
$5 exacta key 2 with 1,3
$3 exacta key 1,3 with 2

Love My Honey (#2) debuts for a barn not well known for work with 2-year-old firsters but has too strong a work pattern to ignore at what ought to be a fair price. Combining in exacta with the two out of Churchill race 4 June 29.

Race 3:
Texas Music (#6)

The Pace Projector is predicting that she will be clearly in front early in a race that does not feature a ton of speed.

Ran deceptively well after setting a fast pace in her only turf sprint, which came against tougher company.

Is bred to like grass, since her half-sibling is a turf sprint winner.

5-1 on ML

Summer is in full swing, and a pick three Saturday at Del Mar (races 6-8) is the play of the day. It’s a $1 minimum bet; the pick three will "single" a 5-1 shot in race 6, include five runners in race 7, and three runners in race 8. Total cost: $15.

The play:

Race 6:
Uncle Gio (#4)

Ran deceptively well last time after going wide around both turns.

Tends to get very rank in his races, so should benefit from a post position more toward the inside.

John Velazquez knows him very well and typically gets him to relax.

8-1 on ML

:: Get TimeformUS PPs for these races at Saratoga

Last week’s Pix was a split doubleheader: Everyone had Nitrous at Saratoga, and our other key in the race, Most Mischief, came in third.  At Del Mar, Truck Shopper was fried all alone on the front end and backed up, but he showed abundant speed for the future. In addition to Nitrous, eight other BreezeFigs juveniles broke their maidens last week at: Assiniboia, Del Mar (BreezeFigs exacta).

A play Saturday’s all-stakes pick four at Saratoga Saturday (races 7-10) hinges on where you can take a stand. While the fields aren’t large, they’re competitive, and spreading in all legs brings about diminishing returns, even if you’re correct.

Race 7

Trying to leverage the opinion that Roy H will be able to overcome a four-month layoff in proving he’s still the king of the North American sprint division, I’ll dive into the late pick four on Saturday at Del Mar using him as a single in the Grade 1 Bing Crosby (Race 9). Here’s the play:

Race 2:
Radiant Beauty (#2)

The Pace Projector is predicting that she will be in front, and she has been very dangerous when able to secure the early lead.

Was overmatched two races back, when she was compromised by a fast pace.

Lost all chance after stumbling at the start last time, before making a four-wide premature move.

4-1 on ML

Grade 1 sprint events will be decided on both coasts Saturday, with the $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga and the $300,000 Bing Crosby at Del Mar. Saratoga also has three other graded races on its Saturday card – the Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy, the traditional local prep for the Travers; the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green; and the Grade 3, $200,000 Amsterdam.