BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,793.75

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THURSDAY’S RESULTS: Chateau stopped badly late in the eighth, and I dropped $22 after scratches.

FRIDAY’S PLAY: Most of my stronger opinions come too late in the day, deadline-wise, so I need to get a bit creative. I’ll focus on the sixth, the Saranac. #3 TAKE ME TO CHURCH is my top pick there after some sharp races in Europe. I’ll have a $30 win ticket on that one, as well as $5 doubles starting there singling him and finishing with #1 ANOTHER CLEESHAY and #11 MELLE MEL.

TOTAL WAGERED: $40.

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SELECTIONS/ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Candi Girl, Race 11
Longshot: Charles J, Race 12

R1

I Got Game (MTO)
Incanto
Gate to Wire

#7 INCANTO (3-1): Was a close-up fifth in his debut, which came in the loaded Royal Palm at Gulfstream (a race that awards the winner a free trip to Royal Ascot). He was beaten less than two lengths that day, and a few strong local drills hint that he could be even better with a start under his belt; #8 GATE TO WIRE (2-1): Debuts for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher and will have Irad Ortiz, Jr., in the irons. His bottom-side pedigree includes plenty of top-notch turf bloodlines, but despite a few sharp drills, I’m not convinced this 5 1/2-furlong trip provides enough ground; #3 TIZ DASHING (5-1): Debuts for Barclay Tagg, which usually means a firster needs a race, but his work tab is very strong and Flavien Prat signs on to ride. His bottom-side pedigree is all-turf, but this is another instance of a talented horse that may want to go a bit further.

R2

Iron Max
Shoot the Waves
Scythian

#2 IRON MAX (7/2): Came with a frenetic rush last time out and was beaten just a neck in a race out of the Wilson chute. Turf is almost certainly what he wants given his pedigree, and he showed last time out that the distance here should not be an issue; #5 SHOOT THE WAVES (15-1): Lost all chance at the break last time out and merits a long look stretching out to two turns. He’s by Kitten’s Joy, out of a Pioneerof the Nile mare, and runs for Mike Maker, whose horses tend to need a race or two to get going; #1 SCYTHIAN (3-1): Debuted running third in a dirt sprint and is a candidate to improve with experience and distance. Dam Dean Henry won a two-turn stakes race, and all five prior foals to race are winners.

R3

Neural Network
Mighty Atlas
Bossmakinbossmoves

#3 NEURAL NETWORK (3-1): Almost certainly needed his last-out effort given a layoff of more than a year. He was a stakes horse before going to the sidelines, and he’s got some tactical speed in a two-turn race that seems very, very light on it; #4 MIGHTY ATLAS (2-1): Won two and three back before finishing a non-threatening fourth last time out. He’s got the ability to win if he can channel the early-2024 form, but the likely price seems like an underlay given his plodding style, one that doesn’t necessarily fit the chute; #1 BOSSMAKINBOSSMOVES (9/2): Draws a tricky post but loves this surface and exits a win by a neck over a next-out winner. This is probably a tougher spot, but David Jacobson can move horses forward and his prior races at the Spa are some of the best efforts of his career.

R4

Dillinger
Show Time
Rice entry

#4 DILLINGER (2-1): Has run well twice at this meet and has some versatility to him. He can go early or sit back and make one run, and Manny Franco got to know him a bit last time out, when he was a close-up second against similar a few weeks ago; #7 SHOW TIME (9/5): Ships in from Churchill Downs, where he cleared his non-winners-of-two condition in a swiftly-run race for the level. I’m not sure what he beat that day, but he looked sharp doing it and he’ll have a big chance in his local debut; RICE ENTRY (5/2): Like most, I imagine, I prefer #1A TOMMY TWO SOCKS, who got up in the last jump of an off-the-turf race and gets wheeled back in last than two weeks. Flavien Prat will be in the irons here, and he’d benefit from any sort of speed duel early.

R5

Pitch Clock
Backstretch Rose
Pam Pam

#2 PITCH CLOCK (7/5): Drops in for a tag after running against much better horses to this point in her career. She’s shown speed against these groups, and that’s a very powerful asset in races that come out of the Wilson chute; #1 BACKSTRETCH ROSE (5/2): Has a tricky inside draw, but she ran well to be second at this level and route a few weeks ago despite a slow break. I think she’ll once again drop to the back of the field, and while she may have a lot to do late, there’s certainly plenty of speed signed on for her to chase; #5 PAM PAM (4-1): Has run well twice at Ellis Park, which has a similar one-mile chute to Saratoga. Irad Ortiz, Jr., lands here for a barn that doesn’t run many at the Spa but means business when it shows up.

R6

Take Me To Church
West Hollywood
The Big Torpedo

#3 TAKE ME TO CHURCH (7/2): Makes his first US start after running in some big spots overseas. He was fifth in the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, and the top two finishers from that race came right back to win at next asking. If he’s ready to run, he’s got a big chance in the Grade 3 Saranac; #1 WEST HOLLYWOOD (2-1): Topped winners last time out and steps up into the stakes ranks. He seems like a late-blooming 3-year-old, and the main issue here isn’t his talent, but the lack of Lasix, which he’s run on in all three US outings to date; #5 THE BIG TORPEDO (5/2): Hasn’t looked like a loser at any point in his last two starts against New York-breds. His connections bypassed a stakes race last weekend to run here, which hints at confidence, and he figures to be prominent from the jump.

R7

Melle Mel
Another Cleeshay
Cantafio

#11 MELLE MEL (3-1): Needs a scratch to run but looms large if she draws in off of the AE list. She gets a big rider switch to Irad Ortiz, Jr., for a barn whose runners tend to improve with experience, and she may not need to move forward much in order to beat these; #1 ANOTHER CLEESHAY (6-1): Draws a tricky post in her debut, but she’s been training very well ahead of her unveiling. There’s plenty of bottom-side pedigree stemming from blue hen third dam Shopping, and this filly could provide some value at her likely price; #12 CANTAFIO (7/2): Didn’t break well in her debut at Monmouth and certainly has a right to improve. Like my top pick, she needs some luck to draw in, but merits respect if she’s able to run.

R8

Leon Blue
Orie
National Archive

#11 LEON BLUE (3-1): Debuted with a strong second in what’s turned out to be a key race. The winner came back to win a stakes race, the third-place finisher earned the diploma last time out, and I’m expecting a step forward from this one here if he draws in off the AE list; #4 ORIE (9/2): Ran fairly well to be fourth at first asking despite a bit of trouble at the start. Blinkers go on a horse that should improve with distance and experience, and the rider switch to Javier Castellano is a notable one; #2 NATIONAL ARCHIVE (7/2): Is one of several first-time starters in here that could be well-meant. She runs against the boys in this spot for trainer Christophe Clement, and this daughter of Constitution and a Quality Road mare has a right to love this route.

R9

Off Script
Early On
Hill entry

#10 OFF SCRIPT (7/5): Didn’t break well in her debut and had every right to spit the bit, but she rallied to finish second behind a next-out stakes winner. It’s safe to assume she learned plenty in her unveiling, and the cushy outside draw is another big plus; #7 EARLY ON (3-1): Has a lot in common with my top pick given her first-out trip. She also didn’t break well, yet came on late to salvage a check. She’s since switched barns to Saffie Joseph, and his runners have been firing all summer long; HILL ENTRY (6-1): #1 MOONLIGHT GAL is the one I prefer. She sold for $125,000 last summer and has a recent bullet drill on her tab. Her dam’s two prior foals to race are winners, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s ready to run right away.

R10

Cool Operator
Chileno
Watasha

#7 COOL OPERATOR (8-1): Is the bigger-priced Linda Rice trainee, but this is the one I prefer. Two turns was a bit too far for him last time, when he stopped badly behind eventual Curlin winner Unmatched Wisdom. This is a much softer spot, and I think he could be the one to catch in this race out of the Wilson chute; #1 CHILENO (6/5): Could be a pretty heavy favorite in his first start since March, and there’s plenty of logic behind that. He’s run well at this route before, and his best race could win again, but this isn’t a short break he’s returning from and he may not have the early speed necessary to work out a trip from the inside post; #2 WATASHA (12-1): Is protected in his first start since November, and I love it when trainers do that. This hints they don’t want to lose a talented horse, and he got pretty good late last year before going to the sidelines. A return to that form gives him a shot at a square price.

R11

Roman Goddess (MTO)
Candi Girl
U Should B Dancing

#5 CANDI GIRL (9/2): Ships in from Presque Isle, where she may have needed her last-out effort off of a seven-month break. Still, she was beaten just a head, and this is a horse that contested a pair of stakes races a season ago. I’m not sure we’ll get the morning line price, which seems like a significant overlay; #1 U SHOULD B DANCING (4-1): Hasn’t won in quite a while but has shown she loves this route. She’s run second twice in as many local turf sprints this summer, and she’s hit the board five times in six outings at the Spa; #10 LINARITE (6-1): Is impossible to endorse on top, but is also impossible to ignore if you’re playing vertical exotics. She makes her fourth start of the summer in this one and figures to be rolling late for a barn that, well, has gotten rolling late in the meet.

R12

Charles J
Six Fortyfive
Sebastianthe First

#5 CHARLES J (10-1): Gets a tepid top pick in very tough Friday finale. Unlike many others in here, he’s shown an ability to pass horses late. The additions of Lasix and Flavien Prat should help, and given my lack of a true strong opinion, I at least think this one will outrun his odds; #10 SIX FORTYFIVE (6-1): Ran well enough two back to merit a try against stakes foes last time out. That didn’t go so well, but the class relief here should help, and he might be talented enough to overcome the tough outside draw; #9 SEBASTIANTHE FIRST (6-1): Was a distant second behind an impressive winner last time out, and neither of his two turf routes have been poor efforts. Luis Saez will be in the saddle again, and a repeat of the last-out effort would put him right there.