Daily Racing Form expert handicapper and analyst Mike Beer handicaps the Friday, July 17 racing card at Saratoga, including his projected 1-2-3 finishers. His best bet of the day comes from Race 1.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Red Square (1st race)
First Race
1. Red Square
2. Blazing Tiger
3. Beijing
RED SQUARE wound up outrun after a troubled start in his debut three weeks ago, and was left with too much to do as that race was won on the lead; he still put in a big stretch run to finish a gaining third, then carried on past the wire to put an acre of ground on that field on the gallop out; well-bred gelding rates another chance for Ward. BLAZING TIGER has only sprinted once, and he still looked green in that debut late last year while finishing a clear second behind a wire-to-wire winner; he kept close to a solid pace all the way, and fought his way to a brief lead in midstretch before getting caught by closers in that last one; interesting turning back with some speed. BEIJING exits the same race as RED SQUARE, where he also rallied from off the pace after breaking from an outside post; has more of a distance pedigree on the bottom, but he ran well going shorter last time, and gets Prat for the NY debut.
Here are Mike’s thoughts on the other nine races on Friday’s Saratoga card.
Second Race
1. Regeneration
2. Sir Duke
3. The Standard
REGENERATION lacked early speed, then was briefly caught behind horses and unable to improve his position around the turn when debuting in a fast race at this distance; he did manage to put in a game stretch run to finish a distant third in that spot; tried stretching out when last seen, and he lacked a strong finish after working out a pretty good trip that day; turns back to make his return from the layoff with blinkers on. SIR DUKE chased wide and finished a determined third despite failing to change leads in his lone start so far, which came against a talented rival in Pretty Boy Miah; well-bred gelding has been given a bit more time since that race; returns with some improved works showing. THE STANDARD’s best effort so far might have been the debut when rallying from off the pace to finish a gaining third; kept closer early and has lacked a finish in both dirt starts since; second off the layoff looking to improve. DISCOTHEQUE owns the top four Beyer Speed Figures in this field, but he is also 0-16 with nine seconds, and has already lost three times for half this price; tries again.
Third Race
1. Twenty Four Mamba
2. Two Eagles River
3. Ridgewood Runner
TWENTY FOUR MAMBA was wide away from a strong rail in his first start as a 7yo; came right back to bury a field of $50k claimers with a career-best 96 Beyer in his next start, and has been freshened up since; ran well twice here last summer, including a tough beat going this distance, for which he earned another solid figure; breaking from the outside post gives his rider options. TWO EAGLES RIVER won two of his last four starts of 2025 with competitive figures, and did so while showing fine tactical speed; has faced tougher than this in his two starts since returning from the layoff, including that last one when dueling the pace before tiring in the final furlong; can do better. RIDGEWOOD RUNNER posted back-to-back blowout wins last winter going a mile, the second of those off the claim for these connections; caught a wet track in his return from the layoff in April, then pulled a wide trip when stretched out around two turns to try a tough field last time at Parx; turns back.
Fourth Race
1. R Kan’t Miss
2. Lexi’s Charm
3. Vu Jade
R KAN’T MISS is by 14%debut sire Kantharos, and is a half-sister to speedy, stakes-winning sprinter Leslie’s Loot, who broke her maiden in wire-to-wire fashion at Saratoga as a 2yo; was training forwardly up to this in Florida prior to shipping up here last week to outwork a stablemate from the gate. LEXI’S CHARM is by a sire who wins with a surprising 17% of his first-time starters (only 2 for 25 with juveniles in that sample, however); half-sister to Grade 2 winning dirt sprinter Stormy Embrace breezed a bullet five furlongs in Kentucky last month, and has put in three solid half-miles on the main track since arriving here; gets Irad for the debut. VU JADE appeared to easily outwork today’s rival SEA ISLE CITY when they went as a pair here last week; has been breezing right along for an underrated trainer, and her half-sister is the quick turf horse Honey Dutch, who made his debut in a Grade 3 on dirt here as a 2yo last summer, before going on to hit the board in a Grade 1 on the grass this year.
Fifth Race
1. Courtly Banker
2. Twisted Filigree
3. Disarmed
COURTLY BANKER turned back effectively here last summer to finish second behind a repeat winner early in the meet, then returned a month later to crush a field over course and distance with an 89 Beyer; dueled and tired in a field of hard-hitting turf sprinters at Gulfsteam two back, then was no match for stakes horses last time; steps back in class to make his second start off the layoff. TWISTED FILIGREE posted a determined, front-running win here off the layoff last summer with a 90 Beyer; he has lost eight in a row since then, while facing tougher right along; once again went to the lead off the layoff last month, but was under pressure throughout and was unable to hold on late; needs this step back in class. DISARMED used the waiver in two starts last winter when starting back from a layoff; failed to get involved when entered in this condition on dirt two back, then ran even worse last time when dropped down in class; recent form is a concern, but he is a new gelding for this, has plenty of back races that make him tough in here, and he handles turf;
Sixth Race
1. Right to Vote
2. Emergence
3. Noble Confessor
RIGHT TO VOTE shaped with potential early on, before enduring a long layoff after just his fourth career start; he ran well in his first start back from that extended break, then handled added ground last time when staying gamely to close down the embattled leaders going this distance; still has room to improve, and just takes the next logical step. EMERGENCE ran away from a field of allowance rivals going longer than this in an off-turf race last summer, then closed into a strong pace to get third in a turf marathon two starts later; was first back from the layoff when setting a solid early pace and only getting caught late in a blanket finish that involved several of these same horses a month ago; doesn’t need to be as aggressively ridden this time. NOBLE CONFESSOR stretched out to break his maiden here last summer, then placed in a Grade 2 against fellow 3yos going this distance two starts later; cut a fast pace before fading off the layoff at Gulfstream, but he has run well in both starts since while more tactically ridden; logical contender in this spot.
Seventh Race
1. Mirage
2. First Pitch
3. Geostoblame
MIRAGE earned a field-best 83 Beyer when stretched out off the claim for these connections at Oaklawn; he disappointed in his next start, but ran well again last time when gamely trying to close ground from last in a race that didn’t develop strongly in front of him; stretches back out while dropping down sharply in class. FIRST PITCH posted the lone win of his career going this distance early on; has only started for a tag once so far, and he landed in a strong field for the level that day; stretches back out while taking needed class relief. GEOSTOBLAME faced much tougher than this the one time he tried two turns on dirt; dropped to get the maiden win earlier this year, then closed ground too last in his next start when rained off the turf to a muddy main track; turf to dirt while dropping to the lowest level yet.
Eighth Race
1. Belouni
2. Ice Chocolat
3. Beef Winslow
BELOUNI is no longer a stakes horse, and he had no chance in that last one, anyway, once his rider elected to stick him wide around the track. His prior effort was a good one when always out of position before just failing to gun down one of these same rivals at a level similar to this one; won for this tag here last summer, and he has run well for the new connections when properly spotted. ICE CHOCOLAT missed time immediately after scoring a front-running upset in the Grade 3 Poker here two summers ago, then only managed three starts last year as a 7yo; has been back in regular racing this year, including a win two back on synthetic with a competitive figure; drops for the return to NY. BEEF WINSLOW ships in with fast figures and a couple of recent wins for an excellent trainer; versatile 7yo is dropping back to the right level for this, though he rarely ventures out to longer distances, and has never won a race beyond a mile.
Ninth Race
1. Sandtrap
2. Awesome Czech
3. And One More Time
SANDTRAP impressed in her two starts in France as a juvenile. She didn’t get to run as a 3yo, but looked no worse for wear when rolling over allowance rivals in her stateside debut back in April; was never able to get into a comfortable position and wound up weakening late when jumped right into a Grade 1 last time; rates another chance. AWESOME CZECH improved noticeably as a 4yo while hitting the board in all seven 2025 starts, including a couple of stakes against open company; she has endured tough, wide trips in both starts so far this year; loves Saratoga, and proved that she can go with horses like this when just missing to one of her main De La Rose rivals in the Cardinal last November. Like the top one, AND ONE MORE TIME exits the Grade 1 Just A Game, and she was ridden conservatively (and wide) in that race to stay away from her winning stablemate, who was the speed on the rail; unlikely to be giving anything away in this spot, and her overall form makes her a major player in here.
Tenth Race
1. Kay Road
2. Donna Romano
3. Tenacious Child
KAY ROAD was okay in her first couple of starts sprinting, then was stuck outside chasing over a track that featured a strong rail in February; caught wet tracks in her first two starts back while looking for the right level; went to Finger Lakes to finally get breakthrough, but she looked good winning that race back over fast dirt, and she doesn’t looked overmatched by this field. DONNA ROMANO won at first asking here last August as a 2yo with a field-best 74 Beyer; failed to run as well in a pair of Kentucky allowance races after that; makes the 3yo debut back in Saratoga on the drop; Lasix on. TENACIOUS CHILD was with a speed-favoring track when running away from maidens with a 67 Beyer back in February; was in up class for her next start, and has raced exclusively on turf since; drops sharply and returns to dirt looking to make it 2 for 2 with Prat.
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