BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $973

As many of you know, I got married a month ago, and my wife is getting set to start the 2025-26 school year as a fifth-grade teacher at a public school outside Oakland, California. Like many teachers, she’s in the process of securing materials she needs for her classroom, and she could use our help.

You can learn more and buy supplies here, and if you have a good day Wednesday, I can assure you that this is a worthy cause to support. If you’re still not sold, consider this: This woman does an outright fantastic job keeping 30 10-year-olds on the right track from mid-August through early-June, and then comes home and deals with me.

(Love you, honey!)

SUNDAY’S RESULTS: My two plays were both in turf races that got moved to the main track, so there was no action.

WEDNESDAY’S PLAY: I’ve got a pedigree play in the sixth, where the likely price on #8 LIMA LIMA seems too big. I’ll have a $20 win bet on her. I’ll also key her in $4 exactas above #1 SANTINA, #3 BLANCHETT, #10 SHARP MINDSET, and #11 KETO DRINK, and in $2 exactas below that quartet.

TOTAL WAGERED: $44.

SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Corruption, Race 4
Longshot: Lima Lima, Race 6

R1

Hidden Path
St. John’s
Memento

#5 HIDDEN PATH (3-1): Almost certainly needed his last-out clunker, which was his first try since going against stakes company last fall. He was third against Grade 1 foes downstate in September, and I think he’ll be considerably sharper here; #6 ST. JOHN’S (2-1): Merits respect for a high-percentage outfit and isn’t a bad favorite. He prepped with a fourth-place finish on the flat at Laurel, and that was a pretty fast race for the level; #7 MEMENTO (4-1): Sure seems like the main speed in here, and he capitalized on that sort of scenario to break his maiden by eight back in March. If he gets comfortable up front, he could lead them a long way in the Wednesday opener.

R2

Stone Smuggler
Army Gal
Mitole’s Girl

#1 STONE SMUGGLER (7/5): Hasn’t raced since December, but she’s been working steadily for about two months and gets Lasix for the first time. Her two defeats last year came to the classy With the Angels, and if she’s ready, she’s the one to beat; #5 ARMY GAL (5/2): Cuts back from a race out of the Wilson chute, and that’s a quirky route that was probably too far. This one-turn seven-furlong trip figures to be more up her street, and the jockey switch to Jose Ortiz is a notable one; #2 MITOLE’S GIRL (6-1): Beat winners last time and comes up in class third off a long break. She may still have room to improve given her relative inexperience, and if she does, she could factor in this at a bit of a price.

R3

Chocolatechocolate
Laughing Lady
Sunset Sizzle

#3 CHOCOLATECHOCOLATE (5/2): Gets a tepid nod in a mess of a maiden claimer. She’s gotten unlucky in each of her last two starts, and while she’s failed to live up to her lofty $325,000 auction tag, a clean trip beneath Irad Ortiz Jr. could at least see her graduate; #2 LAUGHING LADY (5/2): Takes a huge drop for very capable connections, and her two-back effort sprinting on dirt at Aqueduct wasn’t bad. Her lone other dirt start to date saw her chase eventual champ Immersive, and perhaps running against maiden claimers will wake her up; #6 SUNSET SIZZLE (2-1): Was beaten less than a length in her debut back in May and takes a very, very curious drop here. While she could win this and make me look silly, the facts are that she sold for $225,000 and didn’t run badly in her unveiling, so why is she here?

R4

Corruption
Master Piece
Otello

#6 CORRUPTION (7/5): Feels like the main true speed in this three-turn turf marathon, and he’s also 4-for-5 on Lasix (with the lone misfire coming off a long break last November). He’s won going very long on turf before, and I think he leads this one from gate to wire; #7 MASTER PIECE (5-1): Is proven at this distance and gets significant class relief. He’s won multiple Grade 2 events downstate, and his best race would make him tough to beat, but it’s worth wondering if he’s past his peak as a 9-year-old; #1 OTELLO (6-1): Tries turf for the first time in his 10th career start, which is baffling given his turf-heavy pedigree. His dam, Isabella Sings, was a top-notch turf runner, and while these connections probably got Derby Fever last year, it sure seems like this is the surface he wants.

R5

Noguchi
White Whale
Fiddling Felix

#2 NOGUCHI (4-1): Is one of two Chad Brown trainees in here, and he didn’t have a great trip on turf last time. He got bumped around and sent wide, and I think there’s reason to believe he’ll improve at second asking. Irad hopping aboard is certainly a big plus; #5 WHITE WHALE (3-1): Comes back to dirt after a failed turf experiment at Churchill Downs, a race where he ran wide and probably never had a real shot. Luis Saez hops on for Rusty Arnold, and this one’s dirt sprints haven’t been bad; #6 FIDDLING FELIX (5/2): Nearly got the job done on the class drop last time, but was repelled in deep-stretch. That race came back well on figures, but this is a tougher field, and it feels like last time was the time. If he’s the favorite, that hits me as a mistake.

R6

Lima Lima
Keto Drink
Sharp Mindset

#8 LIMA LIMA (12-1): Quietly possesses a massive turf pedigree and intrigues me a great deal. She’s by War Front and out of a mare named Family Meeting, who was a stakes-winning 2-year-old on the lawn. Her second dam is a full sibling to two graded stakes winners on turf, too; #11 KETO DRINK (2-1): Merits respect if she’s able to draw in off the AE list. She had trouble in her debut but came running late to be third, and logical improvement plus a cleaner trip may be enough to get her in the winner’s circle at second asking; #10 SHARP MINDSET (7/2): Debuts for the red-hot Joe Sharp barn and is another with plenty of turf breeding. She’s by Street Sense and out of a stakes-winning turf sprinter that’s thrown two winners from as many foals to race.

R7

Swaggish (MTO)
War Officer
Salted Carmel

#7 WAR OFFICER (7/2): Is a consistent sort with five straight top-two finishes, and he ran well going a marathon distance last year at Gulfstream. There are many unknowns in here, from both surface and distance standpoints, and he feels like one of the few known quantities; #2 SALTED CARMEL (8-1): Goes back to Keri Brion, who trained him to a win two back at Delaware. This barn knows how to get horses ready to go long, and the presence of Flavien Prat is a plus; #1 BRIGADE COMMANDER (5/2): Comes in off a win here a few weeks ago, which is the second time he’s run well over this turf course. On form, he fits, but the 11-furlong distance is a big question mark, and he may need more pace than he’s likely to get.

R8

Sterling Silver
Tricky Temper
Dolomite

#8 STERLING SILVER (5/2): Won this race last year (albeit going a bit longer) and is once again formidable in the Johnstone. She disappointed last time out in the Critical Eye, but I think she’s better going one turn, not two, and that she’ll move forward for Mott and Alvarado; #11 TRICKY TEMPER (15-1): Ran a clunker last time out, but that was her first race in more than six months. Three of her four wins have come here at Saratoga, the Englehart barn is off to a great start, and the last-out bullet work hints she’ll be sharper at a nice price; #2 DOLOMITE (5-1): Has reeled off three wins in a row and has 10 in-the-money finishes from as many starts. If there’s a question mark here, it’s that all but one of her wins have come on Lasix, which she won’t be able to run on here.

R9

Good Mission
Kyla’s Kause
Fifi La Fume

#8 GOOD MISSION (7/2): Gets a tepid nod in a finale where it seems impossible to have a strong opinion given so many professional maidens. However, she got back on turf last time and was a solid third behind a next-out winner despite a trip where she didn’t save much ground. There are at least some things to like here; #2 KYLA’S KAUSE (8/5): Hasn’t been seen since October and comes back for a tag that’s less than a third of her 2023 purchase price. Her 2024 races were fine, and she probably wins if she can channel that form, but it’s fair to wonder why she’s in here; #5 FIFI LA FUME (6-1): Has had plenty of chances, at 0-for-10 lifetime, but her most recent race was her first turf sprint and she didn’t run badly. She was third that day, and Irad sees fit to hang around for the Wednesday nightcap.