Cover photo by NYRA/Adam Coglianese.

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)!

Check out our other handicapping here!

Race 7 – MC 20000

1. #5 Instantly (5-2) – Huge class relief and a surface change for this Walden trainee who gets Jose Ortiz and should be a prime contender if he adjusts well to dirt

2. #4 Private Flight (2-1) – Claimed last time out by Linda Rice after a good show finish by two and a half lengths at this distance, and should be competitive with a repeat of that try

3. #3 Rebalancing (3-1) – Adds blinkers and goes turf to dirt for Chad Brown and Prat as this Klaravich gelding drops down further in class with enough upside against this sluggish group

4. #8 Turbo Launch (5-1) – Seven furlongs should be the right distance for this Linda Rice trainee who wins at a thirty-one percent clip with Franco over the last year

Race 8 – OC 45000n2x

1. #4 Inspeightofcharlie (7-2) – Prefers turf and has two wins at this distance, and keeps Jose here who should keep this gelding attached to the leaders early

2. #5 Jack’s World (5-1) – Won here last month with Prat in the irons and keeps him here but may need a quicker pace from the outside horses to win again

3. #6 Smooth Breeze (4-1) – Has struggled in his last two but has kept good company with consistency in his efforts coming from mid pack and should be in the mix here

4. #3 Jack and Jim (5-2) – Has more question marks than Truman’s Commander and Terminal Velocity among others, but could also be a top contender if he gets back to his pre layoff form here

Race 9 – Grade III Mahony Stakes

1. #2 Outfielder (1-1) – Has a top end race two back that could win here, and drops from a group I at Royal Ascot which should lead to some improvement here

2. #1 Rebel With a Cause (8-1) – Two for three at the distance and should be in a good stalking position here but may need to run his best to be a win contender

3. #4 Intricate Spirit (6-1) – Runs better when grabbing lead, and should be aggressive here with winning chances if Franco can get him to the front early

4. #6 Learntodiscover (6-1) – Tough to leave out Prat and Big Destroyer, but this gelding can be a threat late even if he is unlikely to get the same set up from his Quick Call win last time

Race 10 – Clm 16000

1. #1 Lotsa Trouble (9-2) – Competitive recently with a solid show last time against better and seems to prefer shorter distance compared to his mile efforts

2. #2 Projectability (5-2) – Switches back to dirt and steps down into lower level claimers with races in the spring that could be good enough to win here

3. #3 Princip (6-1) – Has hit the board at a decent clip and runs against a lesser field here than last time with three straight tries over this track

4. #6 On the Ledge (5-1) – Big class relief for one coming off the bench and going back to dirt and has run well after a break in his career with the races to win

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