Handicapping Articles

Happy Jockey Club Gold Cup Day!  This Fall we get Belmont at the Big A while construction occurs in Elmont. Well, today we get a touch of Belmont at the Spa as two longtime Belmont Fall stakes are run at Saratoga for the second year.  The Flower Bowl features a nice field of seven led by War Like Goddess along with the obligatory three Chad Brown runners. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is a very competitive ten furlong affair on the dirt for the colts.  Race 10 – Flower Bowl – Grade 2  One Mile And Three Furlongs On The Inner Turf   For Fillies and Mares Four Years…

Happy Travers Day!  Today’s card has five Grade I races.  Only Belmont Stakes Day has more Grade 1s on the New York racing calendar. There are three reigning Champions running today - Malathaat, Jackie’s Warrior, and Letruska -  along with Channel Maker who won the 2020 male turf division.   I’ll tackle the Sword Dancer and the Travers. But just a word about the Forego where the great Jackie’s Warrior goes for an unprecedented fifth Saratoga Grade 1. He won the Saratoga Special (Grade 2) and the  Hopeful (Grade 1) as a two year old. Then came back last year as a three year old and won the Amsterdam…

Happy Whitney Day!  This is a fantastic card with four graded stakes races including three Grade 1s – the Test, the Saratoga Derby Invitational, and the Whitney.  I’ll dive into the Saratoga Derby and the Whitney Stakes – both of which sport a $1 million purse. Belmont Stakes day is the only other day on the New York racing calendar when there are two million dollar races - the Met Mile ($1 million) and Belmont Stakes ($1.5 million).   Race 10 – The Whitney Stakes – Grade I  One Mile and One Furlong On the Dirt, For Four Year Olds and Upward  The Whitney is arguably the most important…

Happy Jim Dandy Day!  There are two very nice stakes races on the card today, albeit with short fields. As horse players we like big fields as it spreads the money around and gives us better prices on our good opinions. But there is no need to have a big field to have a great race.  Just check out the four horse Shuvee from Sunday and the five horse CCA Oaks from Saturday.   They were both awesome races between the leaders in their respective divisions.   While reigning Sprint Champion Jackie’s Warrior lays over the field in the Vanderbilt there is very good match-up in the Jim Dandy between…

Happy Coaching Club American Oaks Day!  Last year’s rendition of the Coaching Club American Oaks saw Marajuca defeat Malathaat and Clairiere in a thrilling stretch run. This year’s renewal features another big time showdown between Todd Pletcher’s Nest and D. Wayne Lukas’s Secret Oath.  Both of these filles were last seen in Triple Crown events where Nest ran an excellent second to Mo Donegal in the Belmont Stakes and Secret Oath was a good fourth in the Preakness.  In the Caress Stakes we get five runners out of the Intercontinental Stakes at Belmont including the winner Caravel, who is back to defend her title in this race.   …

Saratoga 2022 Meet Thursday, Jul 14 Schuylerville G3 $175K F2YO Dirt 6 Furlongs Thursday, Jul 14 Wilton $135K F3YO Dirt 1 Mile Friday, Jul 15 Coronation Cup $150K F3YO Turf 5 1/2 Friday, Jul 15 Forbidden Apple G3 $175K 4&UP Turf 1 Mile Saturday, Jul 16 Diana G1 $500K F&M 4&UP Turf 1 1/8 Saturday, Jul 16 Sanford G3 $175K 2YO Dirt 6 Furlongs Sunday, Jul 17 Quick Call presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation G3 $175K 3YO Turf 5 1/2 Furlongs