8/21 & 8/22: Sar Steeplechase Race 1 - Walsh Novice and NY Turf Writers

[Flatterer]

Both the Walsh Novice on Wednesday and NY Turf Writers on Thursday go an extra jump (9 jumps) and an extra turn (5 turns).

Getting ready for my annual Travers week visit and since most have already run at Saratoga I’ll keep my analysis brief.

The Walsh Novice has 4 contenders that can win, #4 Veneer of Charm, #5 Sportswear, #6 Arch My Boy, #7 Chief Justice.

#6 Arch My Boy has the highest rating at 141, next is #7 Chief Justice at 133. #5 Sportswear scratched the morning of the Kiser Novice due to temporary lameness. When I saw trainer Ricky Hendricks before #4 Veneer of Charm’s flat win on July 13 at Delaware Park and wished him luck, he said “we gonna need all the luck we can get.” #4 Veneer of Charm finally caught firm turf, ran evenly and saved ground to get the win at 22/1. Before that, he won and beat 12 horses in a 1 ¾ mile point to point April Virginia race.

The Walsh picks:

A) #5 Sportswear, #6 Arch My Boy, #7 Chief Justice
B) #4 Veneer of Charm

The NY Turf Writers is a rinse and repeat of the A.P. Smithwick with only 1 new runner #4 Portrade.

#2 Winston C picks up 10 pounds from his Smithwick victory but is the most likely winner of both the A.P. Smithwick and Turf Writers since 1999 when Campanile won for Janet Elliot.

The only runners that benefit from the extra weight #2 Winston C picks up are #8 Hinterland and #4 Gibralfaro since they were less than 10 lengths behind the winner in the Smithwick.

The Turf Writers picks:

A) #2 Winston C
C) #8 Hinterland, #4 Gibralfaro

Good Luck at the races!