Weekend Winners Club

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Saturday, August 3, Saratoga Springs, New York. Saratoga’s legendary summer meet continues this weekend with some excellent contests such as the Whitney G1 for 3 and up and the Test G1 for 3yo fillies, both of which will prove to be competitive races.
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Whitney G1: McKinzie is the favorite and probably the best 4yo in training right now for classic distance racing. He was ranked 3rd in last year’s Derby Double Dozen with a month to go to the Kentucky Derby after winning the Sham and San Felipe. Baffert declared him unfit and he took 6 months off.
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Since then, he has finished 1st or 2nd in 6 G1 or G2 races, with his only flaw being a horrid outing in the BC Classic. There’s no reason to doubt him right now and he appears to be sitting on top of a big one. Last out he edged out Thunder Snow, the co-2nd ML choice here, in the Met Mile for 2nd. Thunder Snow was fresh off his Dubai World Cup win.
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The most interesting horse is the other co-2nd ML choice Preservationist, coming off a win in the Suburban G2 at Belmont in which he achieved the highest PF of any in the field in his 8th career race. Preservationist got a late start, making his debut a month after the Kentucky Derby last year, but is proving to be formidable, especially with the 10f Suburban win last month.
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Vino Rosso also rears his head in excellent form coming off a Hollywood Gold Cup G1 win at Santa Anita, as Todd continues to try to find his sweet spot. Jason Servis enters the dangerous Monongahela with the big boys, with the improving 5yo coming off an impressive Iselin G3 win at Monmouth.
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Others not mentioned are running for 3rd in this race. But don’t underestimate the importance of this race. The winner gets a coveted slot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, despite how he might be racing from now until then.
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Test G1: This is a 7f Test for top 3yo fillies, of which there are 7 in this field. Covfefe was beginning to look unbeatable before her 3rd place last out. That puts her on more of a level playing field with Bellafina, Royal Charlotte, and Serengeti Express. Trenchtown Cat is the legit longshot.
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Several other races will attract some attention, including the 3 MSW’s. Specifically we’re looking at the MSW 90k for 2yo’s at 7f on dirt, which has a laundry list of top trainers:
Thomas Jonathan
Hennig Mark
Asmussen Steven M
Asmussen Steven M
Lawrence James Lee
Mott William I
Albertrani Thomas
Lukas D Wayne
Pletcher Todd A
Mcgaughey Claude Iii
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In the good old days, Lukas would be favored in this race, but times have changed. He has the worst ROI in the 10 horse field for situational stats. But I wouldn’t put it past him to pull this out. It’s anyone’s race and a good time to hit the wheel all button at various positions.
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So that’s it for analysis now. Did you think we were going to break down every race for you? What fun would that be? Grab the Grid here and make some picks for yourself!
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