Ed's Saratoga picks:
Ed's best bets at Saratoga on Friday, August 16th
Tracking Ed: No good news. Not only was Ed wrong with his Saratoga prediction, he also got the weather forecast wrong, with mid-card rain blowing the final two races off the turf. The best I can do is forget about Thursday and turn my attention to a much better but challenging 11-race card. To close out Thursday, two jockeys, Hall of Famer Johnny Velazquez and the Ortiz brother, Jose, each won two races. As for trainers, 10 trainers won races. And a $2 win ticket averaged a profit of $12.17.
Friday at the Spa: The $200,000 Skidmore Stakes (Race 2) for 2-year-olds headlines the 11-race field. Expect blue skies and plenty of sunshine again. If you're planning a day at the track: Don't forget to bring an umbrella! The first race is at 1:10 PM ET/10:10 AM PST. Here are Mr. Ed's exclusive VSiN selections:
Ed's best bets at Saratoga on Friday, August 16th
Race 1 (1:10 p.m. ET/10:10 a.m. PST) — A one-mile race for fillies and broodmares, ages 4 and up, with a purse of $60,000.
Ed is favoring No. 6 TRADE SECRET (6-1 morning line), who will be ridden by Jose Ortiz in a class up by jockey Rudy Rodriguez, as well as No. 7 PRETTI XTREME (2-1) for trainer Linda Rice, who will once again be ridden by the surprisingly sharp Dylan Davis.
Race 2 (1:41 p.m. ET/10:41 a.m. PT) — $150,000 Skidmore Stakes for 2-year-olds over 5 1/2 furlongs on turf
To complete the early daily double, I'll be backing third-placed GOVERNOR SAM (7-5 line in the morning) for trainer George Weaver and talented young jockey Tyler Gaffalione, and sixth-placed RAISE THE BAR (Johnny Velazquez, 9-5 line) for turf expert Wesley Ward.
Saratoga Pick: 6,7/3,6 double daily for $5. ($20)
Race 3 (2:13 p.m. ET/11:13 a.m. PT) — New York-bred 3-year-olds and above, 6½ furlongs, $95,000
Ed favors No. 4 Toscano (3-1 morning line) for jockey Larry Rivelli, who rarely comes to Spa. He has Jose Ortiz in place of his suspended brother Irad, and the gelding looks set to be a favorite to win the final race with either of the Ortiz jockeys.
Saratoga Prediction: Ten dollars ($10) to win
Race 4 (2:45 p.m. ET/11:45 a.m. PT) — 1-mile race for 3-year-olds with a $45,000 purse
My four favorites are #1 DUNE ROAD and #1A CHALKY CAT (both 7-2 on the morning line) ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, #5 WHISKEY N SODA (2-1) ridden by the in-form Dylan Davis, and #6 FRIZZANTE (9-2) ridden by Frankie Dettori.
Saratoga Pick: Five Exacta boxes. ($30)
Race 8 (4:59 p.m. ET/1:59 p.m. PST) — $115,000 allowance claim for fillies and broodmares aged 3 and older over one mile.
Ed is favoring longshot No. 9 Quarrel (8-1 morning odds) from veteran trainer Bobby Rivaldo and Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano. This team knows how to pull off at least one surprise at Spa each summer. A well-tested filly cut to a mile. A born fighter.
Saratoga Long Shot Bet: #5 Win & Place. ($10)
Race 9 (5:35 p.m. ET/2:35 p.m. PT) — $125,000 Union Avenue Handicap over six furlongs for fillies and broodmares, ages 3 and up.
Ed is betting on No. 4 Tricky Temper (4-1 on the morning line) from talented upstate New York trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who will be ridden by the sharp Flavien Prat in the absence of Irad Ortiz Jr.
Saratoga Prediction: Ten dollars ($10) to win
Race 10 (6:09 p.m. ET/3:09 p.m. PT) $110,000 Allowance Claiming for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Ed thinks #10 Mixologist (morning line 5-1) has all the ingredients to win, trained by Brad Cox, ridden by Joel Rosario and well positioned on the outside, so let's toast to that!
Best bets at Saratoga: $10 to win, $5 daily doubles on numbers 1, 3 and 10 in the final race. ($25)
Race 11 (6:42 p.m. ET/3:42 p.m. PT) — $55,000 Maiden Claiming for fillies and mares 3 years and older on the 1 1/16-mile turf course.
To complete the daily double, it's nice to combine three together: #1 PHILLY'S FINEST (morning line 5-2) is the Clement-Gaffalione team, #3 CAPO DONNA (8-1) is the Handal-D. Davis duo, and #10 OUR FINEST HOUR (4-1) is the Maker-Franco coupling.
Saratoga Pick: $5 Extabox and Race 10 Daily Doubles ($30)
Total bet: $135
Saturday at Spa: Fans can celebrate the return of Irad Ortiz Jr. after he was suspended for three days by the stewards. Irad has ridden all 12 races, and I give him 4-to-1 odds to win at least three. Topping this great betting card are two stakes for 3-year-old fillies, the G2 $200,000 Lake Placid (Race 9) and the G1 $600,000 Alabama (Race 10).
