Spa selections 2018: Saratoga August 8

Pret Say Eye was antsy early, strong late for trainer Lacey Gaudet (left) at Saratoga in 2016. 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, including all of the exciting stakes action!

Race 6 – OC 40000n2x

1. #6 Held Accountable (10-1) – Shouid like the distance cut and be able to close into a group of early runners plus Saez has ridden this filly in every try

2. #2 Sandy Belle (5-1) – Surface change should help this filly by More Than Ready improve as she has won at the Spa and is three for seven at this distance

3. #5 Camorra (5-2) – Baby Boss has potential to be up front with Lady Bergen and this filly, but with inconsistent breaks, take Pletcher and Velazquez dropping from an Allowance

Race 7 – Alw 50000s

1. #7 Cape Angel (6-1) – Joe Sharp has been on a tear so far this meet, and this gelding who has won his last two on the turf should add to that

2. #9 Fuel the Bern (7-2) – Close losses in the last four, but clearly has the running style to beat this group for trainer Danny Gargan

3. #2 La Maquina Gris (6-1) – While Flyoff was impressive last time out and will likely be favored, this colt seems to have finally found his race and should close late

Race 8 – Alw 77000n1x

1. #5 New York Hero (7-2) – Seems to want the longer distance, but will need to be positioned a bit back to let the two favorites knock each other out in the early stages

2. #1 J J’s Dreaming (6-5) – Runs well off a layoff and should be in a good position with modest fractions, this gelding and Speke shouldn’t be bet at such cheap prices however

3. #2 Speke (8-5) – Capable of running up front, but has only won once with a slow pace so will need some breaks to repeat

Race 9 – Quick Call Stakes

1. #2 Majestic Dunhill (8-1) – Two wins at this distance this year, the most likely to close from mid pack into a hot pace and is coming off a stakes win

2. #10 Stolen Pistol (6-1) – Another candidate to close late along with Dirty; both aren’t good on a softer surface, but this gelding has some back class

3. #1 World of Trouble (3-1) – In a field with a few first time turfers, this colt who ran in two straight Grade II races has plenty of speed, but so do a few others