Our Pix last week were pretty much on target.  We told you Mom’s Choice was the way to go at Arlington and that Impeccable Lady would be a good gimmick play at a price.  Mom’s Choice won at $4.80 and Impeccable Lady was third to complete the trifecta ($45 for 50 cents).  At Monmouth, we thought Sweet Soul Music was definitely worth a gimmick play and he finished second at good odds to complete a $146 exacta.  Overall it was a sterling week for the BreezeFigs crowd.  Six 3-year-olds broke their maidens at D

Saturday’s Alabama Stakes card at Saratoga isn’t a knockout one in terms of overall quality. That will come with next week’s Travers program. But it is a well-constructed card. The first of two 2-year-old maiden races full of first-time starters is slotted as race 6, meaning it is completely out of the pick five and early pick four. The other was positioned as race 8, the first leg of the late pick four, giving everyone a chance to see where the money goes. And there are several other interesting betting races, such as:

Race 3

Days with lousy weather forecasts are very tricky to prepare for, especially for an avowed fan of grass racing such as myself. At the moment, it appears that rain might be starting Thursday evening and could return Friday. I'm going to simplify my life by avoiding Friday's grass races all together. If they end up staying on, perhaps I'll take a look on the fly.

Race 3

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens saddles Tricky Zippy (#10, ML 6-1) in Thursday’s ninth race at Saratoga, the 6 1/2-furlong Union Avenue Stakes. Since Jan., 1, 2014, Jerkens is winning at a 26 percent clip in stakes races, for a return on investment of $3.74.

Olympic Blue (#8, ML 5-2) returns in Thursday's seventh race at Del Mar, a 1 1/16-mile starter allowance on turf. It will be his first start since finishing first by a length in a claiming race July 16 at Del Mar. The fifth- and eighth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.

In race 2, SHAME ON ALEX (1) stands a solid chance to redeem himself as a beaten Los Al favorite when turning back off a 7-week layoff. The Jay Em Ess homebred has been carefully managed throughout his career and has proven competitive at this level. He could get an inside stalking trip with a handful of obvious speeds drawn outside him. I don’t know whether his 6-1 morning line will be available, but he’s worth singling.

Four horses stick out to me as overlaid contenders on Thursday’s card at Saratoga, and provided they stick close to their morning lines, all look worthy of wagers.

The first one is Hillbilly Style (#3, 5-1) in race 3. Making his first start off the claim for trainer Patrick Reynolds, he is returning to his preferred surface on dirt. His lone victory came on dirt at Oaklawn and he was second over the dirt early in the Saratoga meet.

One Destiny (#13, ML 5-1) returns in Wednesday's eighth race at Woodbine, a seven-furlong claiming race on the all-weather track. It will be his first start since finishing third by 5 1/2 lengths in a claiming race June 28 at Woodbine. The first- and second-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.

This is an eight-race card where seven of the races are either maiden or claiming (or maiden claiming) races. My two strongest opinions fall in races 2 and 4, so let’s try to take down the pick five.

Looking for value in the Saratoga pick threes, and this mid-card sequence may be the best shot at it.