Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, August 9
Let’s go coast-to-coast with the Saturday article today with plays from Del Mar, Saratoga and Colonial, featuring the Arlington Million.
Grade 1 Sword Dancer, Race #10, Saratoga
Here’s a quick tip, when Appleby ships a horse to the US and William Buick jumps on a plane to ride, play them. That’s the case with #5 Nations Pride who returns to the US after running in a $5 million race in Dubai. His last race in the US was not his best, but he was close to a hot pace and that’s not his game, he wants to be close to a slow pace. Guess what? He’ll get that today. The other Appleby entry, #1 El Cordobes, is the horse that I project to be on the lead with a painfully slow pace. The favorite, #6 Far Bridge, should try for the lead, but jockey Joel Rosario isn’t aggressive enough to go to the front. That should set the pace Nations Pride wants to chase and 3-1 is more than a fair price. The price play here is #7 El Rezeen who is an improving four-year-old who loves Saratoga and is 15-1 on the morning line.
Top 4 – 5-1-7-6
The Bets – $50 Win #5, $10 Tri 5 with 1,7 with 1,6,7
Other Saratoga plays
My favorite play on the card is in Race #7. #6 Depiction sits on the morning line at 3-1 and I will back up the Brinks truck if I get that price. He’s got pace to chase today and was over his head in the Poker last time out.
While people like to avoid the New York-bred finale, I love to play them and I love #2 Amplitude in Race #12, who gets a much better post today and should sit a great trip at 5/2
Grade 1 Arlington Million, Colonial Downs, Race #11
My favorite take-out reducer is back in #1 Mystik Dan to try the turf. I’ll go ahead and let him beat me if he is good enough. #8 Integration is the morning line favorite at 8/5, despite never winning a Grade 1 race in his life. I am happy to fade both. Let’s go to the Euro in #5 Cairo, who has placed in Group 1 and Group 2 races in his last two races and has Timeform numbers that tower over this field. If #6 Fort Washington floats up from his 4-1 morning line price then I will be most interested, but I would need closer to 6-1 to bet to win. #7 Grand Sonata at 8-1 is interesting at a little bit of a number underneath.
The picks – 5-6-8-7
The Bet – $50 Win #5 Cairo
Del Mar Plays
It’s going to be 4-1 or so, but I love the Daily Double from Race #4 into Race #5. #5 Desert Gate should win for fun in the 4th race at Del Mar for Bob Baffert and #3 Eiffle is a horse I have been excited to run back in the 5th. Let’s play a cold 5-3 Daily Double in the 4th at Del Mar.
