Key Plays Saturday for Saratoga & Del Mar for Pacific Classic Day
It’s the final Saturday of the season with both Saratoga and Del Mar in play. I’ve honed in on a few plays at each track to attack for Saturday.
Saratoga // Race 11 // Spinaway Stakes // 5:41 pm ET
#9 Strong Slate is 12-1 morning line for an Al Stall Jr. barn that has been precision with limited starters this summer at the Spa. What draws me to this filly for the upset is the 7-furlong distance and the powerful BRIS late pace figures she’s posted going 5-1/2 furlongs. She may want the additional distance more than the others, including local stakes winner The Queen’s MG, who has been weak on late pace figures to date.
Play: Win and Place #9 Strong Slate
Saratoga // Race 12 // Flower Bowl Stakes // 6:15 pm ET
I’m a huge fan of War Like Goddess, so picking against her takes some conviction. But 12-1 morning line proposition #3 Parnac jumps off the page as a potential pace play. There’s very little speed in the Flower Bowl and she wired this race last year, so we know the course / distance and many variables are achievable. Jockey Dylan Davis has had his best Saratoga summer.
Play: Win #3 Parnac; exacta box #3 Parnac and #1 War Like Goddess
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Del Mar // Race 5 // Del Mar Handicap // 6:32 pm ET
Classy #5 Master Piece (3-1 morning line) gets a great pace set-up to outkick these late over 1-3/8 miles under top pilot Juan Hernandez. Take anything 2-1 or better straight on the nose.
Play: Win #5 Master Piece
Del Mar // Race 7 // allowance / 7:37 pm ET
#9 Pure Madness (3-1 morning line) is bred to relish the two-turn stretchout and has strong BRIS late pace figures in limited starts going shorter. Trainer Brian Koriner hasn’t had a strong Del Mar summer, but all the success he has had has come on turf.
Play: Win #9 Pure Madness
Del Mar // Race 10 // Pacific Classic // 9:13 pm ET
Longshot play in the big race goes to #2 There Goes Harvard (pictured above). Trainer Michael McCarthy’s stakes horses this summer at Del Mar have been remarkable (winning 4 of 9) and the connections boldly supplemented this horse to the Pacific Classic at a cost of $10,000. Last start was a gallop and then accelerate kind of pace, not his type of race. He’ll appreciate this tempo and the grind of 10F much more, and while it’s been 2 years since his signature win, he’s a SoCal major winner over this distance.
Play: Win and Place #2 There Goes Harvard