Mr. Ed’s Saratoga Picks for Wednesday, July 23:
TRACKING MR. ED: As a horseplayer who often complains about weak midweek cards at the Spa, Day 10 of the current meet is a welcome surprise. While this card lacks the sex appeal of a stakes contest, there are several challenging allowance and claiming contests. In fact, the races are so competitive that gun-shy Mr. Ed (see losing records below) couldn’t pick a BEST BET OF THE DAY. I was able to identify a PLAY OF THE DAY (see Race 8 pick below), which offers an excellent opportunity to lower the present deficit. Today’s nine-race program begins at 1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PT. Weather forecast: Sunny and high in the mid-80s. Let’s take a look at Mr. Ed’s exclusive VSiN picks.
Mr. Ed’s Saratoga Picks for Wednesday (07/23)
Race 2 (1:48 p.m. ET/10:48 a.m. PT) — $120K ALLOWANCE CLAIMING for fillies and mares, 3YOs & up going 7 furlongs
Let’s start the week off with a Daily Double. In the first leg I like two: #1 WEIGH THE RISKS (7-5 morning line) for leading trainer Chad Brown, who rehires Manny Franco to ride from inside post, and #5 ZADORSKY (3-1), previously scratched to run here, for crafty young trainer Whit Beckman, who brings Jose Ortiz back to ride.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 Daily Double of 1,5/3,6. ($20)
Race 3 (2:23 p.m. ET/11:23 a.m. PT) — $47K CLAIMING for 3YOs & up going 1⅛ mile
Mr. Ed likes a pair to complete the DD: #3 O P FIRECRACKER (5-1 morning line) for New York trainer Rudy Rodriquez with Flavien Prat in saddle for the first time, and #6 MANTA REY (4-1), who drops in class for Norm Casse. Ricardo Santana rides.
Race 4 (2:58 p.m. ET/11:58 a.m. PT) — $50K STARTER ALLOWANCE for 3YOs & up going 6 furlongs
Mr. Ed’s pick is #5 ZIPPY MARK (9-2 morning line) for Kentucky-based trainer Kenny McPeak, who names smiling Kendrick Carmouche to ride as the gelding cuts back to sprint. Trust he’s no relation to infamous Zippy Chippy, who went 0-for-more-than-100 before retiring. I saw him lose number 93 at Finger Lakes in the mid-‘90s.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 to Win & Place. ($10)
Races 7-9 — $1 Pick 3*
7: 1,2,4,8
8: 2,5
9: 6,7,9 ($24)
* In the event of a scratch, the post-time favorite becomes the substitute pick
Race 8 (5:14 p.m. ET/2:14 p.m. PT) — $115K ALLOWANCE CLAIMING for fillies and mares, 3YOs & up going 6½ furlongs
Mr. Ed’s PLAY OF THE DAY is #5 C’EST CHEESE (12-1 morning line), trained by Whit Beckman, ridden by Manny Franco. The long-shot gal has won two of the last three and returns to the track fresh after a six-month vacation. Needs to improve speed figures, but I’m willing to give her a chance.
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 to Win, Place & Show. ($15)
Race 9 (5:48 p.m. ET/2:48 p.m. PT) — $90K SPECIAL WEIGHT for 3YOs & up going 5½ furlongs on the grass
To close out the card and complete Pick 3, Mr. Ed likes #6 ASKINGFORAFRIEND (7-2 morning line), #7 KING PUCK (8-5) and #9 LIGHT FANTASTIC (5-1).
SARATOGA SELECTION: $5 Exacta Box. ($30)
TOTAL WAGERS: $99
PLAYS OF THE DAY (9 bets): -$98.20
BEST BETS OF THE DAY (9 bets): -$57.00
KEEPING SCORE: As the numbers above attest, Mr. Ed should have taken the first nine days of the current Saratoga meet off and have an extra $155.20 in his wallet. TEACHING TIME: Never bet the first two weeks of any Saratoga meet. Never. There are far too many variables: Horses shipping in from several tracks; stables saving best horses for highly visible meet; super-sized purses; determining track biases on all three surfaces and establishment of meet statistics, or finding out who’s hot and who’s not. One would be wise to do as Mr. Ed says, not as he does. After nine racing days, here are the leaders: The Bros. Ortiz are the hot jockeys, with Irad having 17 wins and Jose having 15. They are outdistancing others, four of whom have seven wins apiece. As for trainers, HOFer Todd Pletcher has made seven trips to the Winner’s Circle, followed by claiming queen Linda Rice with six, Chad Brown and, surprisingly, young Joe Sharp from Kentucky, with five each. Results from many previous years indicate that my numbers will improve significantly between now and Labor Day. Hang in there with Mr. Ed for at least another week.
THURSDAY AT THE SPA: The $135K Curlin Stakes tops a 10-race card on Day 11 of the annual summer meet. Chad Brown’s speedy, undefeated #3 Strategic Focus is the 6-5 favorite to get his first stakes win. Flavien Prat will ride. Mr. Ed will return with his selections. And coming Saturday, the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes, featuring the return of Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty.
