Saratoga Horse Racing Picks for Saturday 7/25/20
With most of the sports world on pause, it's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 1:10 p.m. EST, we have 11 races at Saratoga. Using our numberFire projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.
As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions.)
Call Me Love, Race 3
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/1
Race 3 is the $200K Ballston Spa (G2) for older fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles on the Inner Turf. No show wagering for this compact but competitive field of five with EPO trainer Chad Brown running heavy favorite Sistercharlie (2/5) in her 2020 debut.
The top pick at numberFire and HRN's Super Screener, however, is Call Me Love (5/1), who has five wins in eight starts in the UK. In her U.S. debut at Belmont off a long layoff in early June, she finished second through fast fractions and was within striking distance of top mare Rushing Fall while running this distance. She has room to continue forward. Daily Horse Picks (DHP) still rates Call Me Love with the top pace but picks six-year-old Sistercharlie on top as the class and speed in the race.
Sistercharlie has won seven of her last 10 starts and finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) while posting by far the best speed figure (116) in this field. She won here last year off a similarly long layoff, taking the Grade I Diana, and is 2-for-2 on the Saratoga turf. She has a lethal turn of foot with 13-of-15 top-two finishes in her career -- which includes 10 wins and $3.6 million in earnings. Include her in Pick 3.
Starship Jubilee (2/1) has won five of her last six and has hit the board in seven of eight at the distance. She’ll be running up front looking to outduel the Sister in the stretch.
Jimmy Jazz and Turbo Drive, Race 9
FanDuel Racing Odds: 10/1 and 12/1
Race 9 is a state-bred Allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. There's a better chance here to hit a price here and a Late Pick 3 payoff with 12 runners and numbeFire going with Albie (12/1) on top followed by Simply (4/1) and Jimmy Jazz (10/1).
Morning line favorite Barleewon (3/1) impressively broke his maiden last month and now faces winners. Stanhope (9/2) breaks from the far outside and makes his 2020 debut for EPO trainer Brad Cox, facing winners for the first time, too.
Jimmy Jazz has just one win in 12 starts but had by far his best speed figure (97) when finishing third earlier this month. Trainer Bush gave him a breeze since needing nothing more from him, and Jimmy Jazz is looking like he can hit the board again.
Albie strings three races together with a best 92 speed figure last month when missing the money. Albie is an off-the-pace runner who was able to make up some ground with fast fractions last race.
Leading jockey Joel Rosario rides Simply (4/1) for the first time after he rallied swiftly from way off the pace to finish third last month with an 87 speed figure.
Mo Ready (6/1) makes his 2020 debut for EPO trainer Todd Pletcher, but Turbo Drive (12/1) looks live for fellow EPO trainer Mike Maker with leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons. It's Turbo Drive's third race off a layoff with improved speed figure (86) last race, making up ground from dead last to finish fifth. Betting on the come and improvement to finish in-the-money.
Volatile, Race 10
FanDuel Racing Odds: 4/5
Race 10 is the $250K Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) at six furlongs with another short field of five runners. Volatile (4/5) is the favorite with numberFire picking Whitmore (2/1) to beat him.
Volatile is 4-for-5 for trainer Steve Asmussen, winning last month by eight lengths in a minor stakes race as the heavy favorite. His 118 speed figure sprinting through fast fractions is the top last-race figure in this field. Volatile should control the pace as the top pick at GTS. Even a slight regression from his last two starts would likely put him in the winner's circle.
Guaranteed Tip Sheet (GTS) notes that Whitmore (2/1) has hit the board in 20-of-21 at the distance and is off a pair of wins this spring, including a stalk-and-pounce trip against a large field with a 114 speed figure in the Count Fleet (G3) at Oaklawn.
Mind Control (6/1) is 2-for-2 at the Spa but has done so in modest times, and his best has been at Aqueduct. Firenze Fire (4/1) is a better choice underneath in Exacta wagers with a peak effort coming from just off the pace.
