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Spa selections: Saratoga August 30

by | Aug 30, 2017 | Breaking, Handicapping

Pret Say Eye

Pret Say Eye was antsy early, strong late for trainer Lacey Gaudet (left) at Saratoga last year. Photo by Teresa Genaro.

by Joseph Aiello

In Spa Selections, Saratoga on-site correspondent Joseph Aiello provides picks for a handful of key races at Saratoga, today including the With Anticipation Stakes!

Race 5 – Alw 50000s

  1. #2 Misty On Pointe (8-1) – R Lucky Charm and Avery Meave Provide the speed, this filly closes off the pace
  2. #5 Avery Meave (7-2) – Will be on lead with R Lucky Charm, but has won at Saratoga and on the turf
  3. #10 Hannah’s Smile (5-1) – Should close well on outside and pick up pieces in stretch to at least finish in money

Race 7 – Alw 85000n1x

  1. #6 Durable Goods (3-1) – Filly by Medaglia D’Oro seems to want more distance, and has jockey-trainer combo winning almost half their races together this meet
  2. #2 Dovecote (5-1) – Bet the connections of this Juddmonte filly with Javier Castellano and Chad Brown
  3. #7 Flower Valley (7-2) – May try to take lead, but in a long race like this, better fillies in the field will run her down

Race 8 – Alw 85000n1x

  1. #6 Mr. Crow (8-5) – Wins easily with a repeat of last race which he won by eleven lengths, unless pressed strongly by Foreset
  2. #2 Patternrecognition (3-1) – Has run second to two runners in this years King’s Bishop, and added distance will help him close
  3. #4 Pagliacci (12-1) – Pioneerof the Nile colt is interesting turf-to-dirt runner in better form than Curious Cal

Race 9 – With Anticipation Stakes

  1. #9 Evaluator (8-1) – Will have to close into a pace that might be non-existent, but had best race in field last time
  2. #10 Trumpi (7-2) – Only speed who could steal race assuming Earth doesn’t go out too fast and press
  3. #11 Seabhac (4-1) – Velazquez and Pletcher combo can’t be ignored despite tough post on outside

Race 10 – Mdn 73k

  1. #6 Salty Smile (3-1) – Jockey-trainer combo of Irad Ortiz Jr. and Rudy Rodriguez have won 25% of their races together over the past year
  2. #7 Sunblock (8-1) – Had a solid workout six days back on the training track for trainer Thomas Morley
  3. #5 Berning Rose (20-1) – Filly by Freud deserves a play here because she should be sent to the front