Top of the Card Picks:

Most Likely Money: FINANCIAL SYSTEM (8-5) and QUICKFLASH (4-1)

Best Value: JOYOUS TIMES (6-1) and COACH VILLA (8-1)

Live Longshots: WILLING TO SPEED (12-1)

^Based on ML odds

Race 1

Ponies We Like:

HURDLES-- NO PICKS

Race 2

Ponies We Like: 5-3-1

First Pick: #5 JILL’S A HOT MESS (5-2) Only horse with any experience here in this field of first timers. Will get Kendrick Carmouche aboard here and likely will try to take this horse to the front early. Has run 3 career races for 5th, 2nd and 4th.

Second Pick: #3 RUBY STILLETTO (9-5) First timer for Rudy Rodriguez will get top tier jockey Jose Ortiz aboard here. Comes from a line of breeding that has had success and should fit this distance well here today.

Third Pick: #1 STIMULUS CHECK (12-1) Another first timer who should fit this distance well and has decent pedigree. Has had good workouts recently as well, could be valuable at this longer price.

Race 3

Ponies We Like: 5-2-6

*#6 SCRATCHED. Now 5-2-1/1a

First Pick: #5 STUNNING PRINCESS (2-1) Another field full of inexperience here. This horse has 1 career start for a Place finish at 1 1/16m on turf (today’s distance and surface). Danny Gargan trained and gets Joel Rosario at the reins here.

Second Pick: #2 MO NORMAL (4-1) Whiffed to a 4th place finish in her debut for trainer Christoph Clemente. Was beaten by the #5 in this race in that one after being bumped early. Should be able to improve in her 2nd career start here.

Third Pick: #6 FUNWHILEITLASTED (15-1) This will be the first time stretching over the mile mark for this horse but has shown the distance could be a good thing. Is 0 for 2 in career starts with 4th and 5th place finishes.

Race 4

Ponies We Like: 6-5-2

First Pick: #6 CURLIN GREY (5-2) Comes into race in solid form this year, 8 starts and has hit the money in 5 of those. Ran to a Place finish last time out in the same class and against an equal field to today. Gets Luis Saez at the reins for back to back races as well.

Second Pick: #5 STREET TRUST (6-1) Takes small class drop into today’s race (like most of the field) and is one of the more experienced at this 1 1/8m distance (4 starts and 1 Win). Has 22 career starts and has hit the money in 14 of those races.

Third Pick: #2 HOFFENHEIM (7-5) Tough race last time out and was on our picks page, just had no gas/give. Worries me slightly but this field is much softer than the last as well as a trainer change here for this horse. Gets Tyler Gaffalione aboard here and still has hit the money in 16 of 24 career starts. I will go back to the well here.

Race 5

Ponies We Like: 8-1/1A-3

First Pick: #8 FINANCIAL SYSTEM (8-5) Heavier favorite on the ML but this deserving for this Chad Brown trained horse. Javier Castellano will hop aboard for his 5th mount on this horse (2 Wins, 1 Place, and 1 Show). 10 career starts for 5 Wins, 2 Places and 2 Shows and has hit money 7 times in 8 tries on the turf.

Second Pick: #1/1A KANTARMARCI DOUBLE ENTRY (5-1)

Third Pick: #3 WILLING TO SPEED (12-1) Comes into today with great form this year in 6 starts, hitting the money 5 times. Has also ran well at this 1 1/16m distance in 14 starts (2w/4p/3s) and will take a class drop for this one. Gets John Velazquez aboard here as well.

Race 6

Ponies We Like: 3-4-7-9

First Pick: #3 IN FRONT (4-1) Will move up in class here and has been solid over 6 career starts that have all come on the turf (1w/1p/1s). Gets Joel Rosario back aboard after running to Win last time out in 1m race on turf (today’s distance and surface).

Second Pick: #4 JOYOUS TIMES (6-1) Debuted this year has been successful, hitting the money in 5 of 7 starts so far. All of those have come on the turf (2 Wins and 3 Places). 6 of those starts have come at the 1m distance for 1 Win and 3 Places as well.

Third Pick: #7 KITTEN BY THE SEA (4-1) Solid connections here with trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Jose Ortiz aboard. 4 career starts have all come this year and on the turf (2 Wins and 1 Show). Has 3 starts at this distance for 1 Win and 1 Show as well. Should push be towards the front early here.

Race 7

Ponies We Like: 5-6-7-2

*#6 SCRATCHED. Now 5-7-2

First Pick: #5 QUICKFLASH (4-1) Hasn’t missed the money yet in 6 career starts (1w/4p/1s) and has run similar 5 for 5 in the money this year. Gets Junior Alvarado aboard here and has solid speed that can control here in this field.

Second Pick: #6 COACH VILLA (8-1) Joel Rosario will take the reins here for a horse that has flashed good speed in recent races. 5 starts this year for 1 Win, 1 Place and 1 Show. Has run well at this 7f distance as well in 4 starts (2 Places and 1 Show). Much better on dirt than the turf.

Third Pick: #7 BIG THICKET (7-2) Rudy Rodriguez will put Luis Saez aboard this horse who 36 career starts (6w/9p/4s). No stranger to the money and same goes on the dirt in 26 starts, hitting the money 16 times. Comes into race with 6 races this year and 1 Win, 2 Places and 1 Show as the results.

Race 8

Ponies We Like: 6-8-2

First Pick: #6 TOBYS HEART (1-1) Posted the best numbers of any horse and has just 1 career start under her belt. That was a Win on June 4 at Churchill and came at today’s distance (5f) and surface (turf). Jose Ortiz will hop aboard here as well.

Second Pick: #8 AMANZI YIMPILO (8-1) Irad Ortiz will get the mount here and that will be an upgrade for this horse. Trained by Wesley Ward, this filly has 1 race and 1 Win in her career thus far and it came at 5f on the turf.

Third Pick: #2 JOY’S ROCKET (5-2) This filly for Steve Asmussen has never raced on the grass but has 2 Wins in 2 career starts. Asmussen will put trusted Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard here in this 5.5f sprint. Beat low STK company last time out on the All Weather surface.

Race 9

Ponies We Like: 1-5-3

First Pick: #1 BIG AL’S GAL (5-1) Will stretch out beyond a mile here, only 2 career starts and both were at 6f (1 Place). That Place came with Joel Rosario aboard and he will take the reins here again today.

Second Pick: #5 EIGHTY SEVEN NORTH (6-1) Ton of races under this horse’s belt compared to the majority of the field. Has 15 career starts for 2 Places and 5 Shows. That is also one of the better resumes in this softer field to close the day.

Third Pick: #3 SANDRA’S MINE (7-2) Has whiffed in 2 starts this year but those races were against better fields than this one. Gets Jose Ortiz aboard again after finishing 5th twice so far. Has 3 career Places in 12 starts, all came on the turf and at this distance.

Saratoga Picks & Analysis August 19