The Lake Placid is carded as Race 9 and the Alabama is carded as Race 10 on Saturday’s 11-race program at Saratoga Race Course. The first post is 1:05 p.m. EDT. All races can be seen on FS2 “Saratoga Live” from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm ET.
Lake Placid
Race Information:
- Track: Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga Springs, New York)
- Event Grade: II
- Race: 9
- Post Time: 5:39 PM ET
- Length: 1 1/16 Miles
- Purse: $200,000
- Division: Fillies | 3 Years Old
- Surface: Turf
- Wagers: Exacta, Trifecta (.50), Super (.10), Pick 3 Races (9-11), Double Wagers
Field:
- Illiogami (Manuel Franco), 15-1
- Technical Analysis (Jose Ortiz), 6-5
- Ego Trip (Tyler Gaffalione), 6-1
- Runaway Rumour (Jose Lezcano), 7-2
- Lovestruck (John Velazquez), 6-1
- Spanish Loveaffair (Ricardo Santana Jr.), 3-1
Horse Preview:
ILLIOGAMI enters this race off a fifth place finish in the G2 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont. This was the first stakes race of her career, and she had a bad trip being forced five wide down the stretch. Prior to that race, she won her last two out running some solid speed figures.
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS won the G3 Lake George Stakes in her last start just a little under a month ago at Saratoga. In that race, she beat fellow entrant RUNAWAY RUMOUR who ended up finishing fourth. The race prior she finished sixth in the G3 Wonder Again Stakes where she had no kick down the stretch.
EGO TRIP has only raced twice in her career, finishing second in both races. This will be the first stakes race that she has entered. In her last race, a MSW at Saratoga in July, she had an awkward start but, still closed well which is encouraging.
RUNAWAY RUMOUR didn’t have a great trip out her last race finishing fourth in the G3 Lake George Stakes. Prior to that race, she had won her all three starts in career.
LOVESTRUCK is an interesting horse to try and predict based off her past performances. She won the first two races of her career, a MSW and the Tepin Stakes. However, in her last outing she finished dead last (eighth) where she weakened down the stretch. She hasn’t shown the speed some of these other fillies have so I’m not sure how much of a shot she has in this race.
SPANISH LOVEAFFAIR has the most experience in graded stakes races out of any other horse in the field. However, in all six graded stakes she’s run in, she has yet to find the winners circle. She enters this race, off an eighth place finish in the G1 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes. In that race, she ran a solid speed figure so we’ll see if she can build off that and capture her first graded stakes win here.
Race Preview:
- Front Runner(s): Technical Analysis, Spanish Loveaffair
- Stalk/ Off the Pace: Love Struck
- Closer(s): Illiogami, Ego Trip, Runaway Rumour
This race has taken up more of my time than I would like to admit. The #4 and #6 both have new jockeys aboard but, have raced extremely well this year. I’m not sure the degree it will affect either horse but it’s something to consider. If the #2 gets his ideal trip, he will win this race, there’s no doubting that. However, I’m not sure he will in this loaded field. The one horse that keeps sticking out to me is the #1 horse. He hasn’t necessarily shown the speed needed to compete in this race but his last out intrigues me. He faced some much steeper competition in the G2 Mother Goose (Clairiere, Always Carina, Zaajel, Make Mischief) and ran 5th after being bumped on the turn. I’m not saying he has a shot but he could run 2/3 in this race and shock everyone.
Picks:
WIN: #6 SPANISH LOVEAFFAIR
EXACTA BOX: 2, 4, 6
In this race, I like the #6 Spanish Loveaffair based on the speed she’s shown as of late. In the G3 Regret and G2 Appalachian she had bad trips. Ricardo Santana gets the mount here and hopefully he can get her out of the gate.
Alabama
Race Information:
- Track: Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga Springs, New York)
- Event Grade: I
- Race: 10
- Post Time: 6:13 PM ET
- Length: 1 1/4 Miles
- Purse: $600,000
- Division: Fillies | 3 Years Old
- Surface: Dirt
- Wagers: Exacta, Trifecta (.50), Super (.10), Double Wagers
Field:
- Crazy Beautiful (Jose Ortiz), 6-1
- Will’s Secret (Jon Court), 15-1
- Clairiere (Irad Ortiz Jr.), 6-1
- Maracuja (Ricardo Santana Jr.), 7-2
- Played Hard (Luis Saez), 15-1
- Malathatt (John Velazquez), 1-1
- Army Wife (Tyler Gaffalione), 6-1
Horse Preview:
CRAZY BEAUTIFUL enters this race on a hot streak winning her last two starts. In her last out, she won the G3 Delaware Oaks and prior to that, won the G2 Summertime Oaks. She ran in the G1 Kentucky Oaks earlier this year and finished tenth. Her best finish in a G1 race comes back in October of 2020, where she finished second in the G1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes. She’s ran her best two speed figures in her last two races, so we’ll see if she can continue to trend upward.
WILLS SECRET comes into the G1 Alabama off a disappointing finish in the G3 Indiana Oaks, where she finished sixth. In that race, she faltered down the stretch. Prior to that, she finished third in her last two outings; the G1 Kentucky Oaks and G1 Ashland Stakes. She has shown she has the speed to compete but needs a better performance here than her last outing.
CLAIRIERE could be the horse to beat in this race and has the speed to win this race. She took third in the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks. In that race, fellow entrants MARACUJA and MALATHATT ran one-two. Prior to that race, the G2 Mother Goose, she stumbled and took third. She’s ran some pretty impressive speed figures her last two times out but will need to hope for a better performance to beat MARACUJA and MALATHATT.
MARACUJA is coming off the best performance of her career where she won the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks. She rebounded in that race after a disappointing seventh place finish in the G1 Kentucky Oaks, where MALATHATT won. We’ll see if she has what it takes to win back to back races vs her rival. She seemed to have preferred running out front in her last race, so I’m guessing jockey Ricardo Santana will try and do the same here.
PLAYED HARD is a horse that I don’t want to say has no shot, unless every other horse is disqualified but…, it would be a fair take. This will be her stakes race that she’s entered into and faces some of the best three year old fillies. She’s raced in five career races, winning her last two races, an Allowance and a MSW. In both of those races, she ran decent speed figures but not close to what’s needed to win here. She’ll need the trip of her life here if she wants to win. She’s going to try and push the pace but, will be caught down the stretch by some of these other horses. Her main role in this race, is to cause chaos and try to get some of these other horses to chase her early.
MALATHATT was undefeated until her last race out where MARACUJA defeated her in the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks. She’ll be the favorite in this race and deservedly so. She has two Grade 1 stakes wins to her name and has defeated most of the other entrants in a race prior. In her last race, she was forced out to the lead which was probably a bit unnatural for her as she likes to hang off the pace. I’m sure Johnny V will try and hold her back a bit and not let her go out with PLAYED HARD and MARACUJA on the pace.
ARMY WIFE comes into the G1 Alabama with two graded stakes wins in her last two races. In her most recent start, she won the G3 Iowa Oaks and prior to that, won the G2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. In her last outing, she showed some speed which she’ll need to build on, in order to compete in this race. This is will be the first G1 stakes race that she has entered in.
Race Preview:
- Front Runner(s): Maracuja, Played Hard
- Stalk/ Off the Pace: Crazy Beautiful, Will’s Secret, Clairiere, Malathatt, Army Wife
- Closer(s):
Picks:
In this race, the easy play would be to pick the #6 Malathatt, going off a 1-1. Yes, he probably will win this race but, I’m not going to give you that pick. I like to try and beat the favorites, that’s the type of handicapper I am.
WIN: #7 ARMY WIFE
EXACTA BOX: 4, 6, 7
This will no doubt be one of the best Stakes races of 2021. It is an absolutely loaded field with Clairiere, Maracuja, Malathatt, and Army Wife all having a shot to win.
Army Wife is coming off two graded stakes wins. Her pedigree and previous races have shown that this is a manageable distance. I doubt Maracuja will get the perfect trip she had last time, so I don’t like her to win here. Army Wife held off the pace in the G3 Iowa Oaks and dominated the field coming down the stretch. If she can hang with the #4 and #6 headed into the stretch I’ll say she has a pretty good shot. It all depends on the pace set and if Johnny V pushes Malathatt early to try and avoid a late push. The only reason I’m not including the #3 is that she showed last ride that she couldn’t hang with them in the closing furlongs.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
Sources: Equibase, Americas Best Racing, NYRA
