July 23

Saratoga

Sanford (race 3)

SHARP HOLIDAY
Trainer: Brian Koriner
Last race: July 20, 4th
Finish: 2nd by 2 3/4
Beyer: 52
This low-level claiming filly broke from the outside and raced six wide throughout. She lost more ground than the margin of defeat and fits in a similar claiming sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

FOREST CIRCLE
Trainer: Mike Stidham
Last race: July 23, 4th
Finish: 5th by 1 1/4
Beyer: 56
After bobbling at the break coming out of the one-hole, the Arlington-based daughter of Arch lacked room in the stretch as the favorite in the My Dear Stakes. She was arguably best in the six-furlong sprint for juvenile fillies.

Race 1

Knowing that I’m going to be quite thin over the next three legs of the pick five at Del Mar, I’ve afforded myself the opportunity to spread in this spot – and why not spread as deep as I possibly can? I’ll fish for a price in Sunday’s opener by buying it. I’ll take all seven of them.

Race 2

Saratoga’s Sunday program seems to offer plenty of value, including a midcard pick three starting with race 4.

RACE 4: WILD WITH STYLE (#1) is not from a win-early barn but does have decent works. ASKFOR FORGIVENESS (#2) is the most likely winner based on her latest effort and speed figure, but GRASSARLA (#8) certainly is capable of improving upon her debut run. BARBIE ON A BUDGET (#4) could prove dangerous based on her recent breezes.

A's: 1, 2, 8
B's: 4
C's: NONE

Race 6 is a 2-year-old maiden special weight race with a full field of 10. There are, as always at Saratoga, some interesting first-time starters entered, including Any Questions, a $300,000 half-brother to Runhappy. Still, I prefer to rely on horses with experience in these races, and Pretty Boy Flash is the horse I will lean on. 

Off slowly, Noted and Quoted, our top Pick last week, was given too much to do but she did manage to get up to complete a $3,500 superfecta which was kicked off by our two “gimmick” plays in the race, Morganite ($19 to win) and Champagne Room (who completed a $32 exacta and $29 quinella). Not a bad “saver.” Our 3-year-old Pick is still running, we think. There were 21 BreezeFigs maidens who won last week, including a first-timer in a stake at Belmont Park among 14 2-year-old winners.

California Chrome and Dortmund, top-class comebackers both training super, are likely to dominate the Grade 2 San Diego on Saturday at Del Mar.

This is not a revelation. And with San Diego entrants Soi Phet and Hard Aces both likely to scratch to run Sunday instead, the San Diego will offer minimal wagering appeal. That’s fine. There are other options Saturday, specifically a double on races 4-5, and a race-7 exacta.

Race 4

Saturday is the first day of the season when both Del Mar and Saratoga – the two big summer boutique race meetings – will be racing, and that’s great. But from a Weekend Warrior perspective, one that looks for bettable stakes events, Saturday is something of a challenge.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Even in what was perceived as a down year for his 2-year-old crop, Todd Pletcher managed to win 14 races for juveniles last summer at Saratoga en route to winning his sixth straight training title.

Entering the 2015 Saratoga meet, Pletcher had won with just 5 of 12 2-year-old starters, backing up his claim that his young horses were late to get started. Entering this summer’s Saratoga meet, which commences Friday, Pletcher has already won 11 races for 2-year-olds, evidence that he could once again have a stellar summer at the Spa.