BANKROLL
BANKROLL: $1,107
I usually try to have fun with these blurbs. I can’t today.
People in horse racing hate one another for some pretty stupid reasons (I should know; I’ve been put on blast for, among other things, posting phone numbers for domestic abuse hotlines and for marrying a woman of Chinese heritage). With that in mind, perhaps the most powerful thing I can say about Mary Rampellini, who for years covered a wide-ranging group of tracks for The Daily Racing Form, is that nobody, and I mean nobody, ever had an unkind word to say about her.
Mary passed away last weekend at the far-too-young age of 53. As a writer, she leaves a gigantic hole. As a human being, the loss is an even greater one. Take it from someone who used to work with her: She was one of the really, really good ones, and turf writing as a whole is weaker for her no longer being here.
SUNDAY’S RESULTS: Capricious Outcome won, but the rest of my Pick Five fizzled. I dropped $36.
THURSDAY’S PLAY: Lone speed on the inner turf is a powerful thing, which is why I’m leaning on #7 OPULENT RESTRAINT in the sixth. I’ll have a $25 win bet on her, and I’m hoping she can make every pole a winning one.
TOTAL WAGERED: $25.
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SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS
Best Bet: Opulent Restraint, Race 6
Longshot: Global Prosperity, Race 8
R1
Tough Street
Snide
Street View
#3 TOUGH STREET (5/2): Heads back to the Wilson chute, where she’s run some of her best races. Her wire-to-wire win at this route in 2024 was very, very good, and she was an unlucky loser in her last try here in August. Manny Franco could’ve ridden a few, but he lands here; #1 SNIDE (2-1): Has speed and draws the rail, which is a powerful combination at this trip. Her best is good enough to win, but Linda Rice enters two, Franco and Flavien Prat both go elsewhere, and she may not be alone up front; #5 STREET VIEW (4-1): Has back class going back to last year and drops down the ladder off the bench. It’s possible she’s past her peak, but this is an aggressive outfit that isn’t afraid to drop horses to levels where they can win.
R2
Generational
Excessif
Just a Holiday
#6 GENERATIONAL (5/2): Didn’t break well in his debut at Churchill, but he did at least regain enough composure to pass some rivals and finish fifth. Steve Asmussen trainees tend to improve with experience, Prat sees fit to ride, and that edge in seasoning over most of his rivals could come in handy; #2 EXCESSIF (8-1): Debuts for a patient barn, so he may need a race, but everything about his pedigree screams that he’ll love the lawn. His dam and second dam both won stakes races on the grass, and that second dam, Ruthenia, is a full sister to Grade 1 turf heroine Rutherienne; #3 JUST A HOLIDAY (9/2): Probably lost his unveiling at the break, and that race was won by Booked, who has since come back to repeat against stakes foes. He sold for $800,000 last year, has been working well for Wesley Ward, and was bet like a good horse in his unveiling, so perhaps we’ll see more today.
R3
Cold Spell
Fletch’s Rockette
Lil Tipsy
#5 COLD SPELL (2/5): Has run second behind some very nice fillies in her two prior outings and looms very, very large. You likely won’t get anything resembling value here, but she’s certainly the filly to beat; #4 FLETCH’S ROCKETTE (9/2): Tried turf last time out but faded to fifth after setting the pace. She gets back to what’s probably her preferred footing here, cuts back in distance, and ran very well in her debut, when she finished third behind two well-meant 2-year-olds here in August; #7 LIL TIPSY (8-1): Moved forward off the claim last time out, when she moved early but still salvaged second as an odds-on favorite. This is a tougher spot, but if she keeps moving forward, she could grab a piece of it at a price.
R4
Amelia’s Echo
Margarita Molly
Twirly
#3 AMELIA’S ECHO (7/2): Is a tepid top pick in a mess of a race out of the Wilson chute (just saying, three chute races in the early Pick Five feels like overkill to this handicapper…). I can justify drawing a line through the last-out clunker in the slop at Aqueduct, though, and her solid races two and three back at Oaklawn likely came against better horses than what she faces here; #4 MARGARITA MOLLY (3-1): Drops way down in class after back-to-back bullet drills for a barn that doesn’t usually drop like this, which raises an eyebrow. She has plenty of early speed, though, and Prat takes the call; #2 TWIRLY (7/2): Likely needed her last-out effort downstate off of a nine-month layoff. I’m expecting her to show a bit more early speed than she did that day, and she’s shown she can capitalize off of a trip like that.
R5
Soaring High
Brunch With Amy
Hidden Rose
#3 SOARING HIGH (1-1): Was second of 10 in a swiftly-run race at Churchill that doubled as her first try against winners. Big things have been expected from this daughter of Hall of Famers Curlin and Songbird, and I just don’t think this race came up very strong for the level; #2 BRUNCH WITH AMY (9/2): Was one-paced last time out on a day where it paid to be forward. Closers can have a tough time out of the chute, but she should at least get some pace to chase, and the presence of Prat could move her forward a bit; #5 HIDDEN ROSE (8-1): Got the confidence-builder her connections must’ve been looking for last time out when she overpowered a short, weak field at Finger Lakes. She showed enough talent last year to win at first asking going a mile, which isn’t easy to do, and there may be more room for her to grow.
R6
Sailaway (MTO)
Opulent Restraint
Play With Fire
#7 OPULENT RESTRAINT (7/2): Faces some good ones second off the bench for Bill Mott, but few angles have been more profitable here over the years than “lone speed on the inner turf.” Such a scenario could present itself here with a runner that was beaten less than a length in last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Oaks; #2 PLAY WITH FIRE (3-1): Hasn’t run since October but is another with considerable stakes experience. She came up a half-length short in a pair of high-level races here last summer, and while she may be a bit pace-dependent, her best is clearly good enough; #1 QUEEN OF HAWAII (9/2): Didn’t disgrace herself when she was seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf after a tough start. She hasn’t raced since, but Jose Ortiz sees fit to ride for a small (and very dangerous) outfit, and she was a Group 3 winner last year in her native Ireland.
R7
Red State
Gatsby
Timaeus
#9 RED STATE (7/5): Takes a massive drop for aggressive connections and a barn eagerly seeking its first win up here this year. He’s been running against optional claimers, goes against $20,000 straight platers in this spot, draws well, and looks very tough to go against; #2 GATSBY (9/2): Showed his usual early speed last time out but faded, which was logical given it was his first try since January. He’s an 8-year-old, so it’s possible his form’s going the wrong way, but if he can channel his 2025 form, I think he’s got a chance to spring a mild upset; #8 TIMAEUS (12-1): Merits a look underneath as a horse that’s shown he can pass others late. There’s quite a bit of speed in here, which could help him, and while his last two outings aren’t inspiring, those did come at higher levels. Channeling his races from March and April could get him a piece of this at a price.
R8
Golden Symphony (MTO)
Bridle a Butterfly
Global Prosperity
#2 BRIDLE A BUTTERFLY (9/2): Goes first off the claim for Amelia Green, whose barn has been going very, very well of late. I think he went too far in his last two starts. He’s a stakes-winning turf sprinter, and while this isn’t an easy race for the level, I think the 9/2 morning line price is actually a considerable overlay; #10 GLOBAL PROSPERITY (10-1): Hasn’t raced since February, when he was claimed by astute horsewoman Lisa Lewis. He ran well here twice a season ago, and he’s another that could benefit from a cutback in distance; #8 COUNTER MOVE (7/2): Has clearly taken to turf in his last two starts, in which he broke his maiden before settling for third after setting a hot pace in his first try against winners. At a minimum, he’s the likely speed in here, and if he gets comfortable, he could lead them a long way.
R9
Asked and Answered (MTO)
Coordinator
Feline Curious
#5 COORDINATOR (2-1): Starts for the powerhouse trio of Juddmonte, Chad Brown, and Flavien Prat and looks dangerous in the Thursday nightcap. He chased stakes-quality horses in each of his first two starts before going to the bench. It’s curious that Chad runs two here, but if this one is ready, he’s a likely winner; #8 FELINE CURIOUS (12-1): Has stepped forward in each of his three prior starts and looks competitive on paper at a price. He was second last time out at Churchill, but he finished with interest that day, and that winner has since come back to repeat; #1 PAY THE PIPER (8-1): Is the “other Chad” in here, and his debut back in January wasn’t bad. His second start, however, was a nightmare, as he was pulled up and walked off. He hasn’t shown much early speed, which is a problem on he inner, but he’s been working steadily and runs as a gelding for the first time.