Powered by Jasper Roberts - Blog

Weekend Winners Club

Aug 31 2017

Saratoga Woodward G1 Day Saturday September 2, Gun Runner and other Graded Stakes

Saratoga Saturday September 2 Woodward G1 Day Picks including Glenns Falls G3, Spinaway G1, and Saranac G3.
.
Thursday, August 31
Saratoga Springs, NY
.
It’s another big day for Saratoga towards the end of their famous summer meet on Saturday, featuring the Woodward G1 and several other graded stakes races.
.
Only connections for 4 horses have the courage to take on Gun Runner in the Woodward, and for good reason. In his past 5 races, he lost one, finishing a respectable 2nd to an unbeatable Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup.
.
Go ahead and download the Saratoga Woodward Saturday Grid here free, no strings, to follow along.
.

Now that Arrogate has become very beatable in his last 2 races, Gun Runner looks like he’s becoming unbeatable, destroying the field in 2 G1’s in Arrogate-like fashion.
.

Gun Runner, geared down in the Foster G1 after destroying the field, stamped his BC Classic ticket in this race.

Gun Runner, geared down in the Foster G1 after destroying the field, stamped his BC Classic ticket in this race.


.
On paper, Rally Cry looks like he could be the prime challenger, but flops every time in graded stakes company. Neolithic finished 3rd in the DWC and hasn’t improved since then. The other 2 are hoping for the best.
.
Before that feature race, the Spinaway G1 for 2yo fillies is also a 5 horse race in which 3 of them have an actual shot at victory. Separationofpowers and Lady Ivanka won going away their first time out for Chad Brown and Rudy Rodriquez respectively.
.
But Todd Pletcher doesn’t mess around when it comes to 2yo’s, and his current slight favorite Pure Silver is not only undefeated after 3 races, but won the Adirondack G2 in going away fashion right here at Saratoga last month.
.
Lynnbrook winner Pure Silver takes on stablemate Stainless in Adirondack G2

Lynnbrook winner Pure Silver takes on stablemate Stainless in Adirondack G2


.
Again backtracking to the race before that, the Saranac G3 on turf will be much more competitive. Favorites Bricks and Mortar and Yoshida are both very solid, have good numbers, and both will likely be factors in this race.
.
I like some odds on a lot of the others. Pletcher’s Caviar Czar goes first on turf at 15-1 with competitive speed figures and 2nd best EP. Top EP and only true frontrunner Voodoo Song has odds of 12-1 on the ML. 2nd in EP rating is Mo Maverick at 10-1. Mr Havercamp also runs early and has done well in his 1st 2 outings.
.
So what happens if those 4 provide enough speed for a good closer to win? Then you have to look at the top 2 LP horses, Rocketry at 6-1 and Makarios at 20-1. Literally, this race is wide open, with lots of longshot possibilities, and will depend on how they run it and how the track is playing.
.
Capping with the last race of the day, the Glenns Falls G1, again we have solid favorites with War Flag and Harmonize. However, the top PF’s, all last out, belong to 4 other horses, and are virtually indistinguishable between them.
.
Estrechada, Lottie, and Summersault finished 1-2-3 in a G3 last out, earning them top PF’s, all within 1 length of each other in that race. Grateful ran 2 days later at the same distance of 12f, winning an optional claimer in almost the exact same time.
.
Of the entire field, it looks like only Summersault, 8-1 ML, and Grateful, 15-1 have any interest in going to the lead. The distance of the race really doesn’t matter, when you have a lack of any frontrunners, those who run earliest will have the best chance unless something changes.
.
That makes Grateful the longshot pick of the day in his first graded stakes race.
.
For all the Grids at Saratoga, Del Mar, and any other major track or race day, such as Kentucky Downs for the great 2yo races on Saturday, you can look at the subscription options here.
.
Whatever you do, Good Luck!
Dalton.

.

No responses yet

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply