BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,143

Having just rewatched one of my favorite episodes of “Bob’s Burgers,” one where Carly Simon makes a cameo appearance, I feel it fair to point out something that will rock the worlds of people of a certain age.

Her song, “You’re So Vain,” name-drops Saratoga. However, I think people have been dramatically misinterpreting it for more than 50 years. First of all, yes, perhaps there’s vanity there…but if he thinks the song is about him, and it is about him, isn’t he also absolutely correct? Furthermore, if his horse “naturally won” at Saratoga, long one of the toughest places in the world to win a horse race, isn’t he also notably successful?

The two-pronged lesson, boys and girls: My mind is a scary, scary place, and listening to the lyrics of hit songs is a dangerous, dangerous game.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS: Abashiri’s, um…eventful trip in the Belmont Oaks meant she had no shot. I dropped $30 (also, I screwed up Saturday’s starting total, not accounting for the extra $200 I put in when the meet expanded).

SUNDAY’S PLAY: I’m going to take a shot at the late Pick Five, which starts in the fifth with what hits me as a “free square.” My 50-cent ticket goes as follows: 8 with 1,9 with 1,2,7,8 with 1,2,4 with 1,8,10. If we can get #8 CAPRICIOUS OUTCOME home in the opening leg, I like our chances at a nice score.

TOTAL WAGERED: $36.

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SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Capricious Outcome, Race 5
Longshot: Offlee Naughty, Race 9

R1

Rocket One
Fil Dor
Take Your Seats

#8 ROCKET ONE (3-1): Did everything but win in a Grade 1 here last time out, when he was clear by open lengths in the lane before being run down. Jack Fisher’s got him going well at the moment, and a repeat of the last-out effort could get this one the money in the Grade 1 Leo O’Brien; #7 FIL DOR (7/2): Came over here late last year and may have needed his run in the Grade 1 Iroquois. That’s a three-mile event, and cutting back to the distance of his two-back score in the Grade 1 Colonial Cup should help him; #4 TAKE YOUR SEATS (8-1): Merits a look at a bit of a price. He gets weight from many of his rivals (as much as 16 pounds), and at a minimum, he should be prominent from the jump.

R2

Recurring Revenue
Onebigbeautfulbill
Happy Go More

#1 RECURRING REVENUE (7/2): Hasn’t run since his debut in February of 2025, but he’s been working very well for Chad Brown, and if that’s any indication, he should be ready to go. He also doesn’t seem to run against any monsters in his comeback race, and I think he’s live coming off the bench; #4 ONEBIGBEAUTFULBILL (5/2): Debuts for Brad Cox, attracts Flavien Prat, and boasts a sharp two-back gate drill downstate. His dam’s two prior foals to race are both winners, so it wouldn’t be shocking if this one winds up having some talent; #3 HAPPY GO MORE (3-1): Debuts for a barn whose first-time starters often need a race, but he’s got several very strong workouts ahead of his unveiling. if he runs to a few of those drills, he could be a player at first asking.

R3

Pens Street
Kyle’s Mom
Always Angels

#2 PENS STREET (3-1): Hasn’t shown much in three starts this year, but she drops way down in class for Linda Rice and draws a favorable inside post coming out of the Wilson chute. Ricardo Santana, Jr., rides back after a fourth-place finish last time out, and at least she’s shown a little tactical speed in the past; #3 KYLE’S MOM (9/2): Has won three of her last four starts, and while most of those races came against weaker, she’s got the right running style to do well at this configuration. It’s possible she sits an ideal trip just off the pace, and that could give her every chance; #4 ALWAYS ANGELS (2-1): Has some back races that fit, but hits me as a significant underlay at this price. Her one win since the start of 2025 came at the “beaten claiming” level, and she doesn’t seem quite as fast out of the gate as she was last summer. Given her likely price, I’ll try to beat her.

R4

Holy Seven
Party Animal
Neigh Baby

#7 HOLY SEVEN (2-1): Comes off the bench for this one, but it’s safe to assume he learned quite a bit in his lone race to date. He broke slowly, rushed up, and faded to fourth. He’s been working well for Steve Asmussen, he gets Lasix for the first time, and Jose Ortiz sees fit to ride; #6 PARTY ANIMAL (7/2): Showed a bit of speed last time out, when he pressed a hot pace over a very fast track last month. The rider switch to Edgard Zayas is notable, and I’m expecting him to be on or near the lead out of the gate here; #5 NEIGH BABY (12-1): Is worth a look at a price after catching a sloppy track he clearly detested in May at Churchill Downs. He ran well in two local starts last year, and while he may be a bit more pace-dependent than I’d like, those morning line odds hit me as too big.

R5

Capricious Outcome
Inherent Promise
Dynadee

#8 CAPRICIOUS OUTCOME (8/5): Won’t be much of a price, but he drops way down in class and appears to have this bunch over a barrel. Given the layoff lines, it’s safe to assume he’s had his issues, but he attracts Flavien Prat and doesn’t have a break before this event. If he doesn’t win, I have a tough time predicting who does; #7 INHERENT PROMISE (7/2): Has had lots of chances and is 0-for-16 lifetime, but he did at least take a step forward last year before going to the sidelines. Lisa Lewis doesn’t have many horses, but she can get runners ready off the bench and this one has some early speed; #2 DYNADEE (5-1): Ran second last time out, albeit with what looked like a perfect trip on an easy lead through manageable fractions. Inside-drawn speed is an asset in these two-turn turf races, but there are some genuine stamina concerns here.

R6

Dr. Kraft (MTO)
Cosmic Year
Zulu Kingdom

#9 COSMIC YEAR (6-1): Didn’t win as an odds-on favorite in his U.S. debut at Monmouth, but he had a lot going against him. He came off a long break and had to close in a race with a very moderate tempo. The Grade 3 Kelso seems to have quite a bit of speed, which should help him, and I think he’ll be sharper after that tune-up; #1 ZULU KINGDOM (5/2): Was bet like he couldn’t lose the Grade 3 Poker, but Flavien Prat might’ve gotten a bit too cute in a short field. He’s certainly got the ability to win, and he likes this turf course, but I’m worried the abundance of early zip in this field may make things tough for him; #3 MY BOY PRINCE (9/2): Stretches back out to two turns after tackling some very fast turf sprinters earlier this year. He won the Grade 2 Shakertown at Keeneland, was fifth in the Grade 1 Jaipur, and has shown a mile isn’t completely out of his range.

R7

Liberty’s Advance
Luckbeourlady
Midnight Honor

#8 LIBERTY’S ADVANCE (5/2): Ran into a buzzsaw in her return to the races last month, but still put forth an OK effort to be third that day. She gets Lasix for the first time second off the bench and has every right to move forward for Bill Mott and Junior Alvarado; #2 LUCKBEOURLADY (4-1): Debuts for Miguel Clement, whose numbers with first-time starters are excellent. If there’s any hesitation here, it’s because her pedigree seems to indicate she might want longer than this six-furlong trip, but this doesn’t seem like a bad spot to get her started; #1 MIDNIGHT HONOR (5-1): Sold for a hefty $195,000 tag across the street in 2024 and has some solid gate drills ahead of her unveiling. Barclay Tagg isn’t known for success with first-time starters, and the rail draw is a concern for a debuting horse, but it’s also possible this daughter of Army Mule bearing the Sackatoga colors made popular by Funny Cide and Tiz the Law has talent.

R8

Damon’s Mound (MTO)
Bring Theband Home
Twenty Six Black

#1 BRING THEBAND HOME (7/2): Hasn’t run since a clunker in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, but returns to his favorite turf course for an attempt at a second straight win in the Harvey Pack. The long layoff is a concern, but he hasn’t done a single thing wrong in three starts over this surface, and dismiss inside speed at your own peril; #4 TWENTY SIX BLACK (3-1): Ran well to be fourth in the Grade 1 Jaipur behind Reef Runner and Ag Bullet despite a wide trip. He’s certainly talented enough to win this, and he’s run well at this route in the past, but short-priced closers in turf sprints make me nervous; #2 BOSS SULLY (5-1): Ships in from California and has shown he can take his game on the road. He was a close-up second in a Grade 2 at Churchill last year, and Joel Rosario sees fit to fly in for the mount.

R9

Le Gris (MTO)
Offlee Naughty
Noble Dynasty

#8 OFFLEE NAUGHTY (10-1): Has a few qualities I like a lot in the Sunday nightcap. He’s run his best races going marathon distances, so this 12-furlong journey won’t be too much for him. There also does seem to be some speed signed on, and if there’s any sort of tempo up front, this may be the one they have to hold off late; #10 NOBLE DYNASTY (5/2): Stretches out on a drop in class after running fifth in the Grade 3 Pennine Ridge. He’s got some talent, and getting Lasix back is a plus, but he’s also a 3-year-old going against older for the first time, at a distance he’s never traveled before. If you want to bet him, demand value; #1 MIZTERTONIC (4-1): Finished a distant third in the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup going two miles, so at least we know this distance won’t be what beats him. He is, however, a bit camera-shy, with just one win in his last eight outings (and that came in a first-level allowance for state-breds).