Saturday’s Saratoga card features three graded stakes including the $600,000 Jim Dandy (G2) which marks the first start for Palace Malice since his victory in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 8.
The Todd Pletcher trainee is using the Jim Dandy as a prep for the marquee event of the summer at the Spa, the $1 million Travers Stakes (G1) on Aug. 24.
Also pointing toward the Travers is Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb, who is training up to the race, and Preakness (G1) winner Oxbow, who goes Sunday at Monmouth Park in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1). (Check out the latest odds and bet on Saratoga today).
While the Jim Dandy might be the most anticipated race of the weekend, it is actually a Grade 2 race and there is a pair of Grade 1 races on the Saturday card at Saratoga.
The co-feature is the $600,000 Diana (G1) for fillies and mares going nine furlongs on turf. The race drew a field of six led by Just a Game (G1) winner Stephanie’s Kitten who is the 8-5 morning line favorite.
The Diana and Jim Dandy will be nationally televised on the NBC Sports Network as part of the “Summer at Saratoga” series. The one-hour telecast gets underway at 5:00 ET.
The stakes action kicks off in the fifth race with the $300,000 Prioress (G1) for three-year-old fillies. The one to beat among the seven fillies entered is Kauai Katie, who was third in the Acorn (G1) going a mile in her last outing at Belmont Park on May 27.
The Pletcher trainee cuts back to six furlongs and she is perfect in six starts sprinting. Her only other loss came last year in a fourth place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) going 1 1/16 miles. She is perfect in two starts over the Saratoga main track.
Here is a look at Saturday’s Jim Dandy: bet on it today at TVG
Saratoga Race 10 The Jim Dandy (G2) Post time 5:45 ET
6 Perfect Title 20-1
5 Palace Malice 5-2
8 Mylute 7-2
2 Code West 6-1
Perfect Title makes his stakes debut here for the Dallas Stewart barn and is coming off a sharp win against Alw-1 foes at Churchill Downs going nine furlongs. His win was flattered when both the third place finisher Windswept and the fifth place finisher Proud Strike both came back to win at the level in their next starts. Two back our top pick ran a decent fourth in a highly graded Alw-1 optional claimer won by Bellarmine, who was fifth in the Matt Winn (G3) in his next start. The colt owns solid late pace numbers and is going to see a sharp early pace here. The colt will need a career top to win here but is likely going to outrun his odds and is worth a look if he goes off near his 20-1 morning line.
Palace Malice bounced back from his Derby debacle with a good looking win in the Belmont where he earned a career top speed fig. Only one runner has come out of the race to run and that is sixth place finisher Unlimited Budget, who checked in a disappointing fifth in the Coaching Club of America Oaks (G1). The colt appears to have the perfect running style here as jockey Mike Smith should have him sitting mid pack behind what looks as if it’s going to be a fast pace. Hard to knock anything Pletcher has been sending out at the meeting, winning with 7 of his first 19 starters. The main knock is going to be his short price.
Mylute makes his first start since rallying to finish a good third in the Preakness (G1) where he did not get much pace to run at. He had a tough trip in his fifth place finish in the Derby, and was only beaten 3 ¾ lengths for the top spot. Three back he was beaten just a neck in the Louisiana Derby (G2) behind Revolutionary. The colt is another that should benefit form a sharp pace but seems likely to get bet down from his 7-2 morning line.
Wagering:
WIN: Perfect Title to win at 10-1 or better.
EXACTA: 5,6 / 2,5,6,8
TRIFECTA: 5,6 / 2,5,6,8 / 2,3,5,6,8
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