Daily Racing Form expert handicapper and analyst Mike Beer handicaps the Thursday, August 13 racing card at Saratoga, including his projected 1-2-3 finishers. His best bet of the day comes from Race 2.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Relative Risk (2nd race)
Second Race
1. Relative Risk
2. Mo the Merrier
3. Onepac
RELATIVE RISK gained useful experience in the turf sprint debut when off slow and finishing with some late interest; dam was a two-time winner sprinting on dirt, and she is a sister to dirt stakes winner Joevia; can improve quickly for an underrated trainer. MO THE MERRIER had no excuse when coming up short as the favorite in his NY debut two back, though that was going a mile; faced a much tougher field over a sloppy track last time; likely a better fit here as he turns back another furlong. ONEPAC has also kept good company up to this point, and he was steadily improving up to that last one, where he showed speed and faded behind a repeat winner; dropping in class will help.
Here are Mike’s thoughts on the other eight races on Thursday’s Saratoga card.
First Race
1. Daylight Dreamer
2. Aperitif
3. Galway Gurl
DAYLIGHT DREAMER took a tough beat in her turf debut when forced to contest the pace all the way before getting nailed by a closer on the wire; didn’t run as well last time when dropped back from an outside post, though she did get into some trouble in the stretch; can have another chance. APERITIF has settled for either second or third in four of her last five starts on turf; rallied into a good setup and finished well in front of the top one when earning a new top figure in that last one; tries again. GALWAY GURL took a hard bump at the start, made a mild move around the turn, and then tired readily in her debut on grass; finished behind a couple of these same rivals in an off-turf race last time, thought she contested a fast pace that day, before both COMBAT MOVE and MY LIL ARMY GIRL rallied past her late from the back.
Third Race
1. Lady Wisdom
2. Timia
3. Our Preferred Pal
LADY WISDOM’s two recent wins came when she was dropped in class; she failed to seriously factor at this level three starts back, though that race was contested over a sloppy track that she might not have liked; stepped back and earned a new top figure off the claim last time; logical right back. TIMIA went wire-to-wire to win her final start of 2025 and has since hit the board in all seven starts as a 4yo; exits a pair of solid efforts at this level with new blinkers, where she was forced to go fast on the lead before just failing to last; in good form, but she has other speed to deal with once again. OUR PREFERRED PAL was involved on solid pace with TIMIA last time, and she gamely had a head in front past midstretch before weakening; recent fast track form is solid.
Fourth Race
1. Majaz
2. Midnight Concerto
3. Tulip
MAJAZ was impressive, winning her North American debut after getting handily placed in the early stages; had to avoid a rival pulling up around the turn and wound up behind the eventual winner when settling for second last time; good post, and the added distance is no issue. MIDNIGHT CONCERTO has improved as a 5yo, with newfound tactical speed giving her rider options; dropping back in distance likely to suit her. TULIP ran well on debut after being strongly rated and racing wide more of the way; was much more aggressive from the gate and easily wired a field in her second start; back to turf after facing a very good horse in a Grade 3 on synthetic last time.
Fifth Race
1. Scarlet’s Dream
2. Mascara
3. Cloudy Chance
SCARLET’S DREAM used the waiver in her first two starts back from the long layoff. She was against a speed-favoring track in the first of those, then went to Laurel and got wired again; she has improved since, and this step back in class works for her. MASCARA’s two wins to date have both come in races originally scheduled for turf, including her career debut here as a 2yo; good effort two back at Churchill when claimed, and she earned a slight new Beyer top in her first start for Diodoro, who had a here last week. CLOUDY CHANCE was facing some tougher competition earlier this year before getting a freshening; has speed and returns with some class relief.
Sixth Race
1. Spinning Colors
2. Fionn
3. Table Flirt
SPINNING COLORS won’t be able to withstand a late run from FIONN, assuming that one is ready off the layoff, but she lands in a race where her speed plays as she stretches back out, and she loves Saratoga; needs her best. FIONN was a multiple graded stakes winner as a 3yo while handling a variety of distances; most recent start was disappointing, but there was a long delay before that race due to a starting gate malfunction; hard to hold off if ready. TABLE FLIRT has struggled a bit in stakes company, but her overall turf form is solid, and she spent a lot of time racing in traffic in that last one.
Seventh Race
1. Shoot It True
2. Shades of Jade
3. Opulent Restraint
SHOOT IT TRUE posted a pair of impressive wins when switched to turf here last summer; she has held her own in stakes company since; logical stepping back in class for this. SHADES OF JADE improved race by race up to the easy maiden win last October; made it two in a row when turning back a furlong to win her next start at Gulfstream, then might have made it three in a row if not for getting shut off on the rail in the stretch of her next start; chased a fast pace and paid the price in a race won by a closer last time. OPULENT RESTRAINT has plenty of class, though her two starts since the barn change have left something to be desired, and she has never sprinted; tries turning back with speed looking to get back on track.
Eighth Race
1. Interceptor
2. Parchment Party
3. Annexperience
INTERCEPTOR (and the rest) has his work cut out for him facing long-winded PARCHMENT PARTY going this distance, though he did run well in the stakes race two back when racing wider than that rival before settling for second; likely ran the best race last time, but was done in by keeping up with a fast pace in a race that was won by a perfectly-ridden closer; in good form, but needs his absolute best. PARCHMENT PARTY tried turning back to a distance that is well short of his best in the Suburban last time, and was a non-factor; this is his game, and he has handled two of his main Birdstone rivals fair and square recently; earned the top two figures of his career winning over course and distance here last summer; the one to beat. ANNEXPERIENCE’s two dirt starts to date have been in the slop. He was impressive both times while using his speed to stretch those fields out behind him before finishing strongly, and he has earned figures for those wins; tough ask stretching all the way out, though he is a half-the-quality turf-marathoner, Vote No.
Ninth Race
1. Royal Enclosure
2. Criteria
3. Dark Force
Yaupon (18% with first-time starters) gelding ROYAL ENCLOSURE looks well-prepped to make this belated debut with a trio of quick half-miles from the gate showing, and Abreu has also put this horse in company with a pair of workmates several times to get him some added experience; of interest at first asking. CRITERIA has already run five times – not always a positive for horses from this barn, though perhaps an edge in this field; has kept good company along the way, and he got stuck on the inside when settling for third behind an impressive winner last time in the slop. DARK FORCE is an Into Mischief half-brother to Grade 1 Test winner Paola Queen; the dam was also a stakes winner sprinting on dirt, as well as a debut winner; pedigree and good works showing for Weaver.
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