Spa selections 2022: Saratoga picks September 1
In Spa Selections, Saratoga correspondent Joseph Aiello provides Saratoga picks for a handful of key races at Saratoga, including all of the exciting stakes action!
Follow along all meet with all the exciting action (and good betting opportunities)!
- VIDEO: Latest Charles Town highlightsIn this video, the latest Charles Town Races highlights, including the final stake of the year for fillies and mares and more.
Race 1 – Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes
1. #4 Theocrat (8-1) – Came off the pace with an impressive closing trip from sixteen lengths back, and may have found his preferred distance past two miles
2. #2 Freddy Flintshire (5-2) – Winner of his last two including a dominant performance last time over this track, and seems to be in top form entering his first stakes try
3. #6 Scorpion’s Revenge (3-1) – Comes off a stakes win and has run well off the layoff, plus is the only of this field to win at the distance
4. #5 Decisive Triumph (5-1) – Almost always grabs the lead and has run in four straight stakes races, but has some winning troubles with a litany of second place finishes
Race 9 – Maiden 105k
1. #1 Tell Me When (5-1) – Goes dirt to turf after a couple promising efforts, and should be a better price than this, plus Saez will have her going early
2. #6 More Than a Diva (8-1) – This grey filly was purchased for over a quarter of a million, so has some hope here and gets Jose Ortiz
3. #8 Illicit (4-1) – This filly by Into Mischief went out a tad too fast first time, but can still be a gate to wire threat with a bit slower of a trip this time around
4. #4 Ticker Tape Home (6-1) – Ran much better at six furlongs than going two turns last time, so cutting back to five and a half should lead to a better result here
Race 10 – P. G. Johnson Stakes
1. #5 Idea Generation (5-2) – Ran well in her debut that ended up being refunded after an outrider mistakenly told riders to pull up, but finished strong and might be the best here
2. #6 Be Your Best (7-5) – Didn’t have much pace to close into in her debut but still won by three lengths, and compares well to Idea Generation’s interesting debut
3. #1 Lady Jasmine (6-1) – Sat off slower fractions first time out to win, and will likely need to go a bit faster this time to be a true contender here
4. #3 Pachuca (8-1) – Made a strong move in a stakes last time at Ellis Park, but will need to adjust to turf and take a step forward even if the better post should help
Race 11 – Claiming 16000n2L
1. #6 Be the Boss (6-1) – Finished a close eighth in back to back tries over this track, and drops to a lower level claimer with plenty of horses who do not seem to want to win
2. #8 Power Agenda (9-2) – The last two look pretty brutal, but at one point Todd Pletcher had this colt by Nyquist on the Hopeful trail, and his speed figures from last year win here
3. #3 Got the Gold (3-1) – A bit more consistent than most here, hitting the board in half of his tries on dirt, so appears to be a good bet to at least finish in the money
4. #9 Once a Giant (7-2) – Has run decently when he breaks, and tries his second in a row at this level which may be enough for a good effort only if he grabs the lead
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