Spa selections 2023: Saratoga picks august 26

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: Maryland racing highlights
    Maryland-connected horses had plenty of racing success this past weekend, both at home and on the road. Here are Maryland racing highlights.

Race 7 – Grade I Forego Stakes

1. #3 Elite Power (1-2) – Similar to the Vanderbilt, this smaller field appears to be between Elite Power and Gunite, but at seven furlongs, this Mott trainee has even more of an advantage here

2. #2 Gunite (6-5) – Had his chance last time but let Elite Power through in the late stretch, and now will need to sit on very modest fractions to have winning chances at seven furlongs

3. #4 Pipeline (12-1) – Has the ability to show some early speed which he should with Saez, but appears to be a cut below the top two although one of his best efforts came in this race last year

4. #5 Synthesis (20-1) – High Oak hasn’t been in the mix much recently outside of his last race and has no wins at seven furlongs, so this gelding gets the nod with four wins at the distance

Race 8 – Alw 149500n1x

1. #6 Highly Flammable (9-2) – His last two races at turf sprints have been two of his best, including a win over this turf course last time at this distance with Castellano 

2. #12 Southern Horse (7-2) – Will have to win at a bit higher class than usual, but this eight year old horse has the speed figures and closing kick that give him as good a chance as any

3. #1 Elusive Edge (10-1) – Five and a half appears to be the ideal distance for this six year old, and he might show a bit of speed early which could prove vital in this field 

4. #2 Monet Never (6-1) – Improving and comes off a win at the distance last time breaking maiden, but will need some pace to run into if he repeats his recent running style

Race 9 – Grade I H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes

1. #6 Arabian Lion (2-1) – Doesn’t have the pure early speed of New York Thunder, but likely sits in second and could benefit from the extra half furlong that his foe needs to travel here

2. #5 New York Thunder (5-2) – A repeat of his Amsterdam would be good enough to win here, but a bit more distance and some slower works since that race may mean a repeat isn’t likely 

3. #4 Fort Bragg (5-2) – Might be more of a miler, but probably sits off the leaders and lets One in Vermillion and New York Thunder go with Arabian Lion behind, so could be in the perfect spot

4. #1 Drew’s Gold (12-1) – Ran into a buzz saw in New York Thunder in the Amsterdam then unsuccessfully switched to turf, but his Woody Stephens is good enough to hit the board here

Race 10 – Grade I Ballerina Handicap 

1. #7 Goodnight Olive (9-5) – Six for seven at this distance gives her a slight edge over Echo Zulu who might have the edge at six furlongs, but needs to break close to have a chance

2. #6 Echo Zulu (7-5) – The break is the key for this Asmussen trainee, who wins here if she gets away from the field early and faces little pressure with a chance to wire this group 

3. #5 Wicked Halo (8-1) – Asmussen’s “other” entry has been sneaky good, maybe lacking the top flight efforts of Echo Zulu, but consistently bringing her A game and is good value here

4. #2 Matareya (6-1) – Beat Goodnight Olive at this distance two races ago, but will have a tough time keeping up with Echo Zulu, so will need to hope she can catch her before the stretch

Race 11 – Grade I Sword Dancer Stakes

1. #2 Verstappen (8-1) – A grade II winner at this distance who has put together a couple of solid turf route races recently, closing well last time despite a slow pace in the Bowling Green

2. #1 Soldier Rising (5-1) – Didn’t get the right trip in the Bowling Green, but finished a close third in this race last year and has kept good company since that effort with value here

3. #7 Stone Age (6-5) – Off a long layoff where he didn’t run well, it is tough to ignore Chad Brown entering into this field with no clear top choice as a repeat of his Breeder’s Cup wins here

4. # Pioneering Spirit (8-1) – Could give Bolshoi Ballet a look hoping she returns to form with a higher ceiling, but this one has four straight turf wins for Linda Rice and is trending upwards 

Race 12 – 154th Grade I Travers Stakes

1. #1 Forte (7-5) – If this colt by Violence runs his best, he is the most likely winner in this field, with enough stamina to be able to sit close enough to the lead to not leave too much ground in the stretch, and fittingly has the meet’s leading jockey in Irad Ortiz with a chance to win his first Travers to cap off a dominant summer plus the last three years have seen favorites win this race

2. #2 Arcangelo (5-2) – May have gotten the dream trip in the Belmont and likely won’t again, but distance clearly isn’t an issue and Castellano took this mount over Mage, plus he has twice won off of long layoffs so the two month time off shouldn’t be much of a factor here and his form continues to improve in each start with that trend boding well for this race

3. #6 Disarm (8-1) – Even if Arcangelo appears to be the prime contender to Forte based on speed figures, this colt by Gun Runner adds blinkers hoping to be more forward similar to his Matt Winn, and has the late race form to put in a career best effort here with better positioning but may need some pace with National Treasure and Scotland to have winning chances

4. #3 Tapit Trice (12-1) – His recent form has been concerning and he doesn’t appear to be a winner here, but the class step up may be too much for Scotland, the distance isn’t ideal for National Treasure, and Mage needs a perfect set up to win, so this could be one closing late to finish third or fourth at a price, but Jose Ortiz will need to be a bit closer to have any real chance

Race 13 – Mdn 136.5k 

1. #1A Growth Capital (7-5) – Bet to favorite in all five tries which likely won’t change, and has four second place finishes with one last time that is good enough to win here

2. #2 Fly Right (3-1) – Gets back to turf after clearly disliking the off surface last time, and has a few races that put him squarely with the best in here and give him chances

3. #3 Conversing (6-1) – This colt by Into Mischief had a solid debut on turf that he nearly won, and switching back to his preferred surface could lead to some improvement here

4. #10 Cumberland (15-1) – Baie Longue might be more consistent here, but this one has a sneaky good race three back that if he can repeat by breaking well could be a factor

  • Tiz the Law
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