8/5: Saratoga (Day 13; John's Call; $70k C/O)

[Kasept]

Sizable number of scratches took some of the starch out of the Thursday Spa slate, a 10 race card that may have been the least intriguing of the meet thus far to begin with. But there were no shortage of surprising and/or well-priced winners spiking the action, and the $100,000 guaranteed P6 resulted in a $70k carryover into Friday. Some may have noticed that after initially posting a $144 P6 suggestion early Thursday morning, I adandoned the idea in the post-scratch edition of the tabs. I'm glad I did as it would have been a futile gesture.

Don't have too many pithy summary ideas to relate, though it might be worth noting that both Graham Motion (Humadea/8th) and Lisa Lewis (Fast Time/10th) sent out winners as first time starters Thursday in fields where every other combatant had racing experience. In 2yo races, you regularly want to lean toward runners that have had a race, but in groups of older horses seeking diplomas, the new faces are generally preferable to the 'career maiden' types. At the windows, the best notion of the day came in the second of the two jump races where Baltic Shore (6-1) lost a photo to Royal Rossi (4-1) with Worried Man (14-1) just behind them. The tri brought back a liberal $290.50, but it was more or less downhill from there. Hope you did OK!


SARATOGA


POST-SCRATCHES


1st: NY-OC/N2X, 3+, 6f (P3, DD, Super)

Best Value: #7 Game Token 5-1 4th
Next Best: #5 Jackson N Humboldt 7-2 DNF
Exotics Use: #2 Wise Stop 3-1 2nd
Super Add: #3 Dahlgren Chapel 4-1 WON ($7.30)


2nd: MDN CLM, 2yo-F, 5.5f (P4, P3, DD, Super)

Best Value: #8 Alydarla 8-1 2nd
Next Best: #3 Heather's Feather 7-2 4th
Exotics Use: #6 Shesa Sweet Talker 9-2 5th
Super Add: #1 Bluegrassislegal 6-1 7th


3rd: Madame Jumel, F&M-3+, 9f (P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #4 Sweet N Sour Nina 7-2 3rd
Best Value: #3 Bubble Gum 5-1 5th
Exotics Use: #1 Arena Elvira 3-1 WON ($5.70)
Super Add: #5 Always in My Heart 4-1 7th


4th: MSW, 2yo-F, 5.5f-T (P6, P3, DD, Super)

$70k P6 C/O starts here..

Most Likely: #5 Sisterhood 4-1 5th
Best Value: #8 Dorothy's Spirit 6-1 4th
Exotics Use: #2 Coral Glade 7-2 10th
Super Add: #3 Inny Minnie 9-2 2nd


5th: CLM/N2L, F&M-3+, 8.5f-IT (G/S, P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #7 Vee 8-5 2nd
Best Value: #4 Dracup 12-1 9th
Exotics Use: #8 My Donna Jean 10-1 7th
Super Add: #9 St. Lucy 6-1 6th


<$75 P4 Play:

2: 3-8
3: 1-3-4-5
4: 2-3-5-8-10-11
5: 4-7-8

2x4x6x3 = 144 x .50 = $72


6th: NY-MDN CLM, 3+, 6f (P4, P3, DD, Super)

Most Likely: #1 Cool Operator 5-2 9th
Best Value: #7 Tom's Heritage 5-1 10th
Exotics Use: #3 Rocky Fortune 5-1 2nd
Super Add: #10 Hook and Lateral 4-1 4th


7th: John's Call-R, 3+, 13f-T (P3, DD, Super)

Very nice assembly of turf routers... In one of those little interesting raceday sidenotes, Kindergarten Kid (Dynaformer) has his 2yo sister Assateague (Stormy Atlantic) debuting in the 6th..

Best Value: #9 Dark Cove 5-1 6th
Next Best: #6 Simmard 3-1 4th
Exotics Use: #11 Center Divider 6-1 2nd
Super Add: #7 Sanagas 12-1 WON ($13.80)


8th: NY-ALW/N1X, 3+, 8.5f-IT (DD, Super)

Love these state bred turf routes. Trip will be everything here, and don't be afraid to use anyone about whom you have an inkling in exotics..

Best Value: #1 Medieval Sword 12-1 5th
Next Best: #6 Runaway Jim 9-2 WON ($10.00)
Exotics Use: #9 Gamblin Fever 6-1 10th
Super Add: #10 Seattle Mission 3-1 2nd


9th: NY-MSW, 2yo, 5.5f-T (Super)

Most Likely: #10 Little Dale 6-1 2nd
Best Value: #1 Sportswriter 10-1 WON ($14.40)
Exotics Use: #7 Skorton 5-1 6th
Super Add: #9 Synthesizer 10-1 8th


<$200 P5 P6 Play:

4: 2-5-8
5: 7
6: 1-7
7: 1-4-6-7-9-11
8: 1-6
9: 10

3x1x2x6x2x1 = 72 x $2 = $144


<$75 P4 Play:

6: 1-3-7-10
7: 1-4-6-7-9-11
8: 1-6
9: 1-7-10

4x6x2x4 = 144 x .50 = $72


Good luck!
Steve