BANKROLL

BANKROLL: $1,205.43

It’s Hall of Fame Day, and I’m proud to have had a ballot for that institution for the last several years. As pleased as I am to see certain horses and horsepeople be enshrined, though, I’ll use this space to lobby for two horses that have been on the ballot the last few years and not gotten voted in.

Lady Eli won Grade 1 races at ages two, three, four, and five. She won one Breeders’ Cup race and overcame a near-fatal case of laminitis before almost winning another one. Based on credentials and her story, she should be in.

Game On Dude, meanwhile, may have no-showed in several Breeders’ Cup events, but he won eight Grade 1 races, including what may go down as the last Santa Anita Handicap that truly meant something (when he beat Mucho Macho Man and Will Take Charge). If you say you value longevity but don’t vote for a horse that did as much as Game On Dude, that hits me as hypocritical.

THURSDAY’S RESULTS: My exacta plays ran 3-4 and 2-3 in the third and sixth races. After scratches, I dropped $16.

FRIDAY’S PLAY: I wish I could play #1 TOUCH OF FIRE in the ninth, but that may be a hair late for my editors. Instead, I’ll focus on the second race, where, assuming we stay on the turf, I really like #2 MIDTOWN MISCHIEF (who got a terrible trip last time out). In addition to a $20 win bet on that one, she’s a single in the early Pick Four starting in that race. That 50-cent ticket goes as follows: 2 with 4,5,6,8,9,10 with 2,3,7 with 1,4.

TOTAL WAGERED: $38.

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SARATOGA SELECTIONS AND ANALYSIS

Best Bet: Touch of Fire, Race 9
Longshot: Ed Charles, Race 6

R1

Dia Por Dia
Call Me Jal
Margarita Molly

#8 DIA POR DIA (7/2): Hasn’t run since January, but she comes back at what’s probably the right level. Her first-out win was a solid effort, her works downstate look solid enough, and Jose Ortiz sees fit to ride in the Friday opener; #7 CALL ME JAL (8-1): Has a habit of finding trouble, but when she got a clean trip two back, she got the money. The post towards the outside of the field should help her, and she takes a considerable class drop after running against much better last time out; #2 MARGARITA MOLLY (3-1): Is the morning line favorite, but I’m not sold. She does cut back, which helps, but I thought she had an ideal trip last time out and couldn’t get the job done. She could win, but given her likely short price after failing to capitalize on that perfect journey, I want others on top.

R2

Raised (MTO)
Midtown Mischief
Froghollowsummer

#2 MIDTOWN MISCHIEF (5/2): Got floated way, way wide turning for home last time out as a 2-1 favorite. Maybe she wouldn’t have beaten the well-meant winner that day, but she certainly would’ve finished much closer. Flavien Prat hops aboard for Mike Maker, and if she gets a less-eventful trip, she’ll be tough; #7 FROGHOLLOWSUMMER (10-1): Is 0-for-11, which is a lot of chances, but she had a weird trip last time out. She wants to be forward, but sat seventh of 12 before finishing third at a big price. If you only consider her races at Saratoga, her form looks much better, and the rider switch to Tyler Gaffalione is a big one; #1 MIDNIGHT BLUE (6-1): Wasn’t bad two back in her lone turf start to date, and her second-place finish in the slop back in May was also a decent effort. Luis Saez hops on, and combined with the rail draw, we may see her pretty close up early on.

R3

Coach Ryan
Emotionlyavailble
Maximum Heat

#8 COACH RYAN (3-1): Came back running off the bench for powerhouse connections last time out, as he was beaten just a half-length in his first try since October. Closers can have it tough on the inner, but any sort of progression second off the bench would make him a handful; #6 EMOTIONLYAVAILBLE (5-1): Is a nightmare for grammar freaks and had a nightmare trip last time out. Still, he was second that day despite a slow break and racing very greenly. He’s another fairly-inexperienced runner whose best days could be in front of him; #10 MAXIMUM HEAT (5-1): Ran fifth in the race my top pick exits, and that was this one’s debut. Linda Rice trainees often improve second time out, and Jose Ortiz rides back when he probably had a few options. The question is, will he get enough pace to set up for him here?

R4

Party in the Army
Anyway
Long Pour

#7 PARTY IN THE ARMY (4-1): Won two in a row downstate before finishing third in the swiftly-run Mike Lee here in early-June. Lasix goes back on, which could move him forward, and while there is other speed in here, he’s also shown he doesn’t necessarily need to be in front in order to run well; #3 ANYWAY (3-1): Has done very little wrong sprinting and comes in off of a solid, professional score against first-level allowance foes. I’m not sure what he beat that day, but toss the one-mile races downstate and you have a horse that’s 3-for-4 with a second, and perhaps he’s getting better in the back half of his 3-year-old season; #2 LONG POUR (5/2): Took advantage of a picture-perfect trip to win for the first time in a while here last time out. He’s done his best running at Saratoga, which helps him, but he’s also shown he may need the lead to run his best race. Given the speed horses elsewhere in the field, he may have it tougher out of the gate on Friday.

R5

Ez Roll
Papa Yo
Googol Joke

#4 EZ ROLL (1-1): Will likely be a very heavy favorite exiting a live event at this level and distance. That day’s winner and third-place finisher have both come back to win, and Ray Handal seems to have this one in top form, with three wins and six top-three finishes in as many starts this year; #1 PAPA YO (4-1): Looms the main danger shipping in for Linda Rice. He ran against some strong fields at Oaklawn over the winter and spring, and as an eight-time winner, he carries plenty of back form for a barn that’s dangerous with new acquisitions like this; #3 GOOGOL JOKE (8-1): Stretches back out to two turns, but his lone recent win came going a two-turn mile in February. His last two outings haven’t been great, but he’ll almost certainly be on or near the lead early, and perhaps he can hang on for a piece of it at a bit of a price.

R6

Silverus
Ed Charles
City of Rome

#12 SILVERUS (3-1): Draws an outside post in his debut for the dangerous George Weaver barn and boasts a number of very strong drills. Hall of Famer John Velazquez sees fit to ride this son of City of Light, and if he runs to his workouts, he could be a very nice horse; #7 ED CHARLES (8-1): Broke terribly in his debut last month, but rallied to finish fourth despite the trouble. The race didn’t come back incredibly strong on speed figures, but improvement is logical at second asking, especially with a cleaner start; #10 CITY OF ROME (5-1): Will be unveiled by Eddie Kenneally, who ships this son of Army Mule in for his first start. His last two works at Churchill look pretty good, and he’s another first-time starter with most of the field inside of him, which could make life a bit easier out of the gate.

R7

Remi’s Moon
New York Scrappy
Money Makes Money

#7 REMI’S MOON (6-1): Switched to the turf after being claimed by Joe Sharp and has gotten a pair of strange trips. He ran a fast-closing fourth going short downstate before pressing a solid pace in a race won by Highlands Way, who’s gotten pretty good. I think sprinting is what he wants, and that he’s live providing he avoids trouble; #1 NEW YORK SCRAPPY (7/2): Has won three in a row coming up the class ladder and ventures outside of New York-bred competition for this one. That’s not a small hurdle, but Flavien Prat rides back after guiding him to the last-out victory on dirt, and he’s certainly in form; #4 MONEY MAKES MONEY (5/2): Comes east for a barn that’s hit at a high percentage all over the place and doesn’t ship in for frequent-flyer miles. He’s run well in California, and if that form comes east, he’ll have a chance. The question is, what’s he really been running against? This is a good field for the level, and the 5/2 price hits me as an underlay.

R8

Shangrala Road
The Obliterator
Mirage

#9 SHANGRALA ROAD (3-1): Is as tepid a top pick as I’ll ever give out in a mess of a race out of the Wilson chute. Most of the contenders draw tough outside posts, and this one is no exception. He comes back to the dirt here, he’s shown he can get the one-mile trip, and I’m hoping he can somehow save ground; #7 THE OBLITERATOR (8-1): Doesn’t draw a great post, but didn’t totally lose the race at the draw, either. He’s run some OK races at this distance in the past, and he’s got some versatility in his running style, too; #8 MIRAGE (5/2): Goes first off the claim for an astute barn after running second here going longer a few weeks ago. He did show some tactical speed earlier this year, but he’ll have work to do to clear so many runners to his inside (seriously, folks, if you’re playing multi-race exotics, go as deep as you can).

R9

Touch of Fire
Glavine
Immortalised

#1 TOUCH OF FIRE (5/2): Looks like the lone early speed in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame, and in two-turn routes on the inner, that’s very, very dangerous. He ran well when fourth in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby last month, and this race, while a solid one, hits me as a considerable class drop. If he gets comfortable, I don’t think he gets caught; #5 GLAVINE (7/2): Rated in the Saranac, where he was one of a few that came running late. He was third that day, and he could improve if he’s more forwardly-placed given the likely race shape; #7 IMMORTALISED (8-1): Reeled off three wins in a row at Gulfstream earlier this year and has been competitive elsewhere in his last two outings. He doesn’t seem as fast as my top pick, but of the others in this field, he’s the one most likely to be sitting just behind him when the real running starts.

R10

Faithful Departed
Fitz Right
Consensus View

#6 FAITHFUL DEPARTED (9/5): Seems to be continuously improving ahead of the Grade 2 Saratoga Oaks. She won two in a row before finishing second behind a loose-on-the-lead winner in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, and she almost certainly had way too much to do that day; #2 FITZ RIGHT (5/2): Won three in a row before finishing third in the Belmont Oaks and is one of three Chad Brown trainees in this field. Her running style hints that the added distance she gets here won’t be a problem, and Flavien Prat has gotten to know her very, very well; #8 CONSENSUS VIEW (8-1): Is a fascinating entrant that bucks a lot of Brown’s usual patterns. He enters her in this ambitious spot off of a maiden win without trying allowance company. The Monmouth work tab usually gives me pause, but the debut was impressive enough to keep Manny Franco hanging around, and it’s not often a Brown trainee offers this much value.

R11

Coquito
Mursal
Despo’s Dream

#5 COQUITO (3-1): Didn’t run well last time out against a better group, but she cuts back to seven furlongs first off the claim for Joe Sharp in the Friday nightcap. She’s knocked heads with several of these in the past, she’s got three top-two finishes in four local starts, and she could sit an ideal trip just off the speed; #8 MURSAL (2-1): Has won three of her last four starts and comes back pretty quickly for Linda Rice, which is often a sign of confidence. She’s certainly talented enough to win again here, but she hasn’t shown the same effectiveness at seven panels that she’s shown at six, and that’s a concern; #10 DESPO’S DREAM (5/2): Has won two of four starts at the Spa and is a two-time winner at this distance. She’s another that can win this on her best day, but this barn has been ice-cold to start the meet and the presence of Irad Ortiz, Jr., while encouraging, may mean we don’t get much of a price.