BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,182.63

To know me is to know my horrible and/or hilarious philosophies that, in some circles, are referred to as “dad jokes,” so here we go.

I’m seeing “The Odyssey” with my wife this week. By all sane accounts, it’s a fantastic movie-going experience. However, I’ve got a big fundamental issue that I’ll address in this space.

According to legend, it took Matt Damon’s character decades to travel from Troy to Ithaca. This feels wrong. Speaking from having done that trip many times in the past, all you need to do is hop on I-88 and state route 79 (or, if you prefer, the Thruway, I-481, I-81, and state route 13), and you can handle it in a mere three hours or so.

I hear you booing, and I’m not sorry. Be careful, or I’ll tell you what happened when I was kidnapped by mimes.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS: Playing Tricks never kicked on in the third, and I dropped $30.

FRIDAY’S PLAY: I’ll head to the fourth, where I’m hoping the morning line price holds up on #1 FIRST CALL BOB. He’s not impossible, but the 4/5 price hits me as a massive underlay. I like #4 I’M WORTHY, the subject of a $30 win bet.

TOTAL WAGERED: $30.

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SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Best Bet: I’m Worthy, Race 4
Longshot: Parkridge, Race 6

R1

Without Hesitation
River of Deceit
Wood Island

#2 WITHOUT HESITATION (9/5): Hammered for $2.3 million at the OBS sale this past spring and has been working consistently for first-out maestro Wesley Ward. Sire Jackie’s Warrior is off to a slow start, but this one has been aggressively touting herself ahead of her debut in Friday’s opener; #4 RIVER OF DECEIT (2-1): Has an experience edge over most of these, having run a good second downstate in mid-June. He may have moved a bit too soon that day, and this is a barn whose horses generally improve with experience; #1 WOOD ISLAND (7/2): Has been working well for George Weaver and attracts Irad Ortiz, Jr., who likely had a few options here. The two-back gate drill was sharp, and he also worked well on the grass earlier this month, too.

R2

Risky Mission
Saysomethingnice
Cream Puff

#8 RISKY MISSION (4-1): Is spotted logically given her sire Mission Impazible’s $2,500 stud fee and has a few things going for her. Her dam was stakes-placed as a 2-year-old and has thrown three winners to date, she’s been working consistently for Linda Rice, and the outside draw is a plus; #2 SAYSOMETHINGNICE (6-1): Didn’t do much running here last month, but she takes an aggressive drop in class at second asking. It’s not like there’s much to recommend from her lone effort to date, but it’s not unprecedented for 2-year-olds to step forward in a big way second time out, and maybe she wouldn’t need to improve much to factor here; #3 CREAM PUFF (10-1): Is worth a look underneath at a price. This isn’t a barn known for first-out success, but she’s kin to stakes-placed Tough Street, among others, and the last-out bullet drill could mean she has some talent.

R3

Mursal
Sheer Will
Proud Foot

#2 MURSAL (3-1): Is one of two Linda Rice trainees in here, and she may very well inherit the early lead by default. She’s won two of her last three, so we know she’s in good form, and if she’s able to sit the trip she wants, this 6-year-old could be tough to top; #5 SHEER WILL (2-1): Is ultra-consistent, having not missed the board in over a year. She does step up out of the starter allowance ranks, but Prat sees fit to ride back for Rice, and if another runner goes with this one’s barn buddy, she could work out a trip; #4 PROUD FOOT (7/2): Was a head behind my top pick last time out and was claimed out of that event by a barn that’s enjoyed a strong meet to this point. Manny Franco knows this mare pretty well, and while her local record isn’t the strongest, she’s proven she can run well at this level.

R4

I’m Worthy
First Call Bob
Who’s Your Zaddy

#4 I’M WORTHY (4-1): Goes first off the trainer switch to Linda Rice and presents a very appealing alternative to what will likely be a heavy favorite. We know he can run well going two turns, and he ran against a much, much better group last time out at Oaklawn. A repeat of the two-back effort gives him a big, big chance; #1 FIRST CALL BOB (4/5): Isn’t illogical, but I can’t endorse him on top. As the great Harvey Pack said, “never bet a horse, as the favorite, doing something it’s never done before.” Yes, he takes a huge drop, but he’s never gone two turns on dirt, and his speed figures are going the wrong way. This hits me as a chalk you’re supposed to try to beat; #5 WHO’S YOUR ZADDY (6-1): Got the ultimate equipment change after a failed turf experiment, and he’ll run as a first-time gelding here. His dirt races downstate earlier this year were fine, and Santana opting to ride back after the last-out clunker seems like a good thing.

R5

Disparate Impact (MTO)
Urgency
Vivaldi

#4 URGENCY (6-1): Gets a big rider switch to Jose Ortiz after a strange trip last time out at Aqueduct. He was rank early, looked home at the top of the stretch, and got caught by a perfect-trip winner. If Ortiz is able to get him relaxed early, Friday could be graduation day; #10 VIVALDI (3-1): Takes a big drop into the maiden claiming ranks and, in a lot of ways, is the one to beat. If he’s on his game, he’ll be formidable, but the far-outside post on the inner turf is a problem, and as a closer, he may need the race to fall apart (no cinch going two turns on this course); #8 DIXIE HEX (15-1): Is worth a look underneath at a price. He steadied last time out and lost quite a bit of ground. Maybe he wasn’t winning, but he certainly could’ve been much closer, and smoother sailing may mean he gets a piece of this.

R6

Calling Mr. Mo
McMoon
Parkridge

#2 CALLING MR. MO (6-1): Is a tepid top pick in a wide-open baby race for New York-breds. He’s been working very, very well for Miguel Clement, and his dam has proven productive, throwing six prior runners that have all found the winner’s circle. If he’s ready to go first time out, I think he’s live; #9 MCMOON (8-1): Is another sharp worker out of a solid broodmare. In this case, this George Weaver trainee’s dam was a debut winner who went on to place in a graded race as a 2-year-old. That two-back gate drill was a good one, and it’s far from the only strong drill on his sheet; #3 PARKRIDGE (15-1): Runs for Bill Mott, whose 2-year-olds often need some experience before they get going. However, there are some works that hint he has some ability, and John Velazquez hops aboard when he may have had some options. Maybe he needs a race, but the morning line hits me as an overlay.

R7

Sharp Spark
Metatron’s Muse
Coach Cronin

#5 SHARP SPARK (6-1): May be the beneficiary of a race shape that should favor closers. There are a few in here that will definitely want to be on or near the lead, and that’s music to this late-runner’s ears. The faster they go early on, the better his chances figure to be; #1 METATRON’S MUSE (6-1): Goes up in class after back-to-back wins and is another that figures to do his best running late. He makes his fifth consecutive start for a new trainer, but Jose Ortiz, who rode him to a win at this route a few weeks ago, sees fit to ride back; #3 COACH CRONIN (5/2): Is the one I like most out of the likely pace-setters. He was third in a stakes race at Los Alamitos last time out, and he’s shown he’s dangerous when he’s allowed to dictate terms. The question is, can he outpace #2 SECURED LANDING and have enough left in the tank when the real running starts?

R8

Liberty’s Secret
Lightning Strike
Daniella Marie

#4 LIBERTY’S SECRET (6-1): Is lightly-raced but could be a very nice filly. Her win off the bench last time out was excellent, and the recent four-furlong drill hints that this astute barn has her going in the right direction. While this is her first try against winners, it’s not like there are any monsters in here, and any sort of improvement means she has a shot at two in a row; #8 LIGHTNING STRIKE (3-1): Set a very fast pace here on Independence Day before getting reeled in by Grace and Grit, who’s been going pretty well of late. There’s some other speed in here, so she may have some work to do early, but she hits me as the one they’ll have to catch; #2 DANIELLA MARIE (5-1): Hasn’t raced in almost six months, but her form from this past winter was solid. She earned black type with a third-place finish against stakes foes and topped open company impressively before going to the bench. Some of her recent works look solid enough.

R9

Obliteration
Gilded Bandit
American Man

#7 OBLITERATION (7/5): Looms very, very large in the Grade 2 Amsterdam, especially since he won’t have to chase Englishman like he did in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens. He probably didn’t sit his ideal trip that day, when he was seventh of nine early, but he still hit the board and was beaten just a nose for second money. A similar type of effort would make him tough to deny; #4 GILDED BANDIT (9/2): Is a closer in a race with some zip signed on, which makes him interesting at a bit of a price. He’s 2-for-2 at this 6 1/2-furlong distance, and while he was a distant fourth in the Woody Stephens, that was over a surface that wasn’t playing very kindly to horses who were far back; #1 AMERICAN MAN (6-1): Ships in for Dallas Stewart, who employed similar tactics to win last year’s renewal of this race. He was second in the Grade 3 Maxfield last time out at Churchill after contesting a pretty hot pace, and if the recent bullet drill is any indication, he’s still doing well.

R10

Expecto Patronum (MTO)
Emerald Ember
Scorch

#3 EMERALD EMBER (4-1): Is a tepid top pick in a wide-open finale. She steps up in class here, but she’s yet to run a bad race on turf and comes in off of arguably her best effort to date. This barn can certainly move horses forward, and if that happens, she could make it two in a row; #1 SCORCH (9/2): Completes a fiery exacta after what hit me as a very solid effort last time out. She was second in a similar spot downstate at a price, and here, she’ll get a significant rider upgrade to Flavien Prat; #2 FIVE DOZEN ROSES (5-1): Earned the diploma last time out, albeit against a field that didn’t hit me as any great shakes. This is her first try against winners, but Linda Rice knows how to keep horses in form and the presence of Irad Ortiz, Jr., is certainly a good thing.