Saratoga Picks for July 23:
HORSING AROUND: After a rather exhausting weekend picking little other than also-rans, Mr. Ed awoke Monday morning attempting to solve this age-old puzzle: Is he trying too hard to find winners for followers? Or, is he trying just hard enough to support his freeloading crew of three and his own degenerate lifestyle as a tout? The crew consists of his in-house copy editor and a pair of clocker cats, all with expensive tastes. A bag of Friskies cat treats costs more than a can of tuna fish. And the editor, who hadn’t eaten red meat for 40 years, up and decided she’d give it another go — eating fillet mignon every day that Mr. Ed picks a winner. She nearly went into apoplectic shock Sunday evening. Mr. Ed is getting by on a few frozen sliders every evening and a bowl of grits in the morning, plus a daily $1 lottery ticket and a beer at lunch. He’s considering a GoFundMe site, but lacks the tech skills to set one up. Here are Mr. Ed’s latest efforts to get off his ship of fools and return to his winning ways.
TRACKING SPA JOCKEYS & TRAINERS:
THE ALIVE FIVE: A look at Saratoga’s top five jockey standings through the first 22 of 46 racing days: 1. PRAT (19) 2. J Ortiz (19) 3. Franco (14) 4. Santana (9) 5. Gaffalione (6). Keep in mind that over the next six weeks, several riders will be accepting out-of-town calls, especially on weekends. Also, note that perennial leader Irad Ortiz, Jr. (6) has only ridden a few days due to earlier suspensions. Changes are expected.
TOP TRAINERS: Trainer standings after the first three weeks of the 2026 meet are as follows: 1. COX (7) 2. Brown (6) 3. Casse (6) 4. Weaver 5. Maker (5). Look for Linda Rice and Steve Asmussen to join top ranks in the weeks ahead.
THURSDAY AT SARATOGA: A better-than-average, mid-week program is set to go at 1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT. The day’s feature is an overnight stakes, the $200K SUZIE O’CAIN STAKES for NY-bred 3YO fillies (Race 7 below), going 1 1/16-mile on the grass. Eight competitive coeds are entered. Here’s a look at Mr. Ed’s top picks for Thursday afternoon.
Mr. Ed’s Picks for Thursday, 7/23
Race 1 (1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT) — $52K MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT for fillies & mares, 3YOs & up going 7 furlongs
Mr. Ed likes either of a pair in DD Leg 1: #2 KEY ACTRESS (5-2 morning line) for trainer Mike Maker with Ricardo Santana retaining mount, or #9 AUTHENTIC BEAUTY (3-1) for low-profile trainer Kinnon LaRose with Junior Alvarado in irons.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 Daily Double of 2,9/5,6 ($20)
Race 2 (1:44 p.m. ET/10:44 a.m. PT) — $65K CLAIMING for 3YOs & up, going 1 1/16-mile on the grass
To complete the DD, Mr. Ed likes either #5 BLAST FURNACE (3-1 morning line), for the team of Mike Maker and Flavien Prat, or #6 SHANGRALA ROAD (8-1), overdue colt for deep Linda Rice barn and jockey Jose Lezcano.
Race 3 (2:19 p.m. ET/11:19 a.m. PT) — $37K CLAIMING for 4YOs & up going 7 furlongs
Mr. Ed likes a trio: #1 NORMANDY COAST (4-1 morning line), gelded son of Omaha Beach, trained by Joe Sharp and ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr.; #3 NORWICH (9-2) for Mike Maker-Ricardo-Santana team, and #8 SHERIFF BIANCO (6-1) with big rider upgrade to Manny Franco on class drop for Linda Rice.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 Exacta Box of 1,3,8. ($30)
Race 4 (2:54 p.m. ET/11:54 a.m. PT) —$130K ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING for 4YOs & up going 1⅛-mile on the grass
Mr. Ed’s BEST BET OF THE DAY is #2 SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS (2-1 morning line) for top trainer Chad Brown with Manny Franco returning. Nearly $2M-earner rarely misses the mark. Win today would return to graded company.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $20 to Win. ($20)
Race 5 (3:29 p.m. ET/12:39 p.m. PT) —$90K MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT for 2YOs going 5 ½-furlongs
Mr. Ed’s choice is #9 SIDE QUEST, gelding trained by Will Walden with rider upgrade to Irad Ortiz, Jr. Walden removes blinkers to improve entry’s concentration.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $10 to Win. ($10)
Race 6 (4:04 p.m. ET/1:04 p.m. PT) — $43K CLAIMING for 3YOs & Up going 6 furlongs
Mr. Ed’s VALUE PLAY OF THE DAY is #3 CATCH A TIGER (15-1 morning line) for HoF trainer (and friend) Nick Zito, who names Smilin’ Katie Davis to ride, moves to turf and turns gelding to sprint. What’s not to like at a price?
SARATOGA SELECTION: $10 to Win, Place & Show. ($30)
Race 7 (4:39 p.m. ET/1:39 p.m. PT) — $200K SUZIE O’CAIN STAKES for NY-bred fillies going 1 1/16-miles on the turf
Mr. Ed’s choice is #5 CELTIC DAWN (5-2 morning line), an undefeated sprinter for trainer Carlos Martin stretches out with tip-top jock Irad Ortiz, Jr. riding. Has the look of a winner from head to tail.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $20 to Win. ($20)
Race 8 (5:14 p.m. ET/2:14 p.m. PT) — $130K ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING for fillies and mares, 4YOs & up going 7 furlongs
Mr. Ed’s final wager of the day involves a trio: #2 SENZA PAROLE (5-2 morning line) for Chad Brown barn who retains Irad Ortiz, Jr. to ride; and #4 BEAUTY REIGNS (7-2) for trainer Bill Mott with go-to rider Junior Alvarado, and #7 REPUTATION (6-1) for savvy trainer George Weaver with Flavien Prat up.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 Exacta Box of 2,5,7. ($30)
TOTAL WAGERS: $160
FRIDAY AT SARATOGA: An excellent 10-race program awaits horseplayers at Saratoga Race Course, headlined by a pair of super-competitive stakes, Race 8 the G2 $250K SHUVEE at 1⅛-mile for fillies and mares, and the R9 $200K RICK VIOLETTE for NY-bred 3YOs going 1 1/16-mile on the grass. The card also includes a few first-class allowances and maiden special weights contests. Post time for Race 1 is 1:10 p.m./10:10 a.m. PT. Weather forecast calls for FAST & FIRM conditions under sunny skies and highs in the mid-70s. Look for Mr. Ed’s exclusive VSiN selections.
SPONSORED
🤖 Robert Ferringo Is Heating Up
Robert Ferringo is 80-42 (65%) on his highest-rated plays, producing +14,020 units.
Over the past three weeks alone, he’s up +8,435 units across MLB, WNBA and World Cup wagers.
