Both of last week’s Pix could have put some change in your pocket, especially when Sheikh of Sheiks came through at a surprisingly generous $15.20 at Saratoga.  Our 3-year-old Pix¸ran OK at Delaware to finish third and fourth in generous trifecta and superfecta payoffs.  It was a good week for BreezeFigs juveniles as an even dozen broke their maidens across the country, including a BreezeFigs exacta/quinella/trifecta at Del Mar on Sunday involving first-timers which didn’t pay a whole heck of a lot, but i

Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Friday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.

DRF Bets GamePlan

I’m looking to take what they give me on this seven-race card that begins the weekend. The best place to start is with the early daily double.

Race 1

Aside from the unfortunate too frequent complaint of burying a 2-year-old race with nine first-time starters in the pick five and early pick four by slotting it as race 4, Saturday’s card at Saratoga is tremendous. With six Grade 1 events plus a Grade 2, it truly is a card befitting the occasion of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah running in the Travers Stakes, the most important post-Triple Crown  race for 3-year-olds.

Let's take a look at the pick four.

Race 8

I'm intrigued by the grass pedigree of IRISH FILIBUSTER (#2). Trainer Mike Maker excels with firsters sprinting on turf (13 for 52, $2.48 ROI). A.

STUBBS (#5) cost a pretty penny back in 2013. Graham Motion is six for 36 with a $2.88 ROI over the last five years with firsters at Saratoga. A.

Trainer Richard Baltas saddles All Run (#8, ML 5-2) in Thursday's seventh race at Del Mar, a six-furlong starter allowance. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Baltas is winning at a 27 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from route to sprint, for a return on investment of $3.08.

There are many big days at Saratoga, but Saturday is the biggest of the big. It is not only Travers Day, it is also a Travers Day that includes Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The Grade 1, $1.6 million Travers heads a blockbuster card that includes five other Grade 1 events – the Sword Dancer, Personal Ensign, Forego, Ballerina, and King’s Bishop – as well as the Grade 2 Ballston Spa. The only other graded stakes Saturday are a pair of Grade 3’s – the Smarty Jones at Parx and the Violet at Monmouth.

Travers Stakes

Cap'n Raymond (#5, ML 8-1) returns in Thursday's ninth race at Saratoga, a 5 1/2-furlong allowance on turf. It will be his first start since finishing second by 3 1/4 lengths in an allowance July 25 at Laurel Park. The second- and third-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.

I like the latter part of Thursday’s card at Saratoga but am not wild about the last race, so I'll play the pick three starting with the 7th:

Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Thursday's races, including DRF Bets GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.

DRF Bets GamePlan