Saratoga kicks off the week with a Pick 6 carryover and the $120,000 Bolton Landing (photo credit: © Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com)
A Pick 6 carryover and the $120,000 Bolton Landing highlight the Wednesday card at Saratoga as we kick off the sixth week of the meeting.
The Pick 6 went unsolved on Sunday thanks to a couple of longshots and there is a carryover of $145,196.
The sequence starts with Race 5 at 3:21 ET and includes the $120,000 Bolton Landing which is the ninth race on the card. First post on the 10-race card is 1:05 ET.
A dozen were entered in the Bolton Landing, two of which are main track only entrants trained by Wesley Ward.
Ward also has two of the contenders in the main body of the race including the 5-2 morning line favorite Poppy Flower, who broke her maiden at Belmont Park on June 20 in her third career start.
“I think she gets better as she gets older,” Ward said. “She’s been there and kind of a hardy filly. Never had any issues to do deal with and keeps getting better every start. We’re hoping we have a little luck.”
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The trainer will also saddle Chi Town Lady (8-1), who broke her maiden on the main track at Keeneland going 4 ½ furlongs back in April in her debut.
“She had a little bit of shin issues after that first race,” Ward said. “Now, she’s back and ready to go and we got our man Johnny V back on her. Hopefully, we have a little luck with her as well.”
Ward has won the Bolton Landing in three of the six runnings, winning in 2016 with Con Te Partiro, in 2018 with Stillwater Cove and in 2019 with Kimari.
Let’s head out to Saratoga for Wednesday’s featured race of the day:
Saratoga Race 9 The Bolton Landing (5:39 ET)
7 Kneesnhips 10-1
5 Poppy Flower 5-2
3 Derrynane 5-1
4 Flip My Id 8-1
Kneesnhips
The Amoss trainee was sent off as the 5-2 favorite when she made his debut at Ellis Park going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf. The filly race next to last early and came with a good late rally to get up late, winning by a half-length in a good looking effort. The third-place finisher My Dawn came back to graduate in her next outing on Aug. 1 at Ellis Park. The fifth-place finisher A Lot to Like came back to run third in the Debutante at Assiniboia Downs in her next outing on Aug. 3. Our top pick’s speed figure is coming up on the light side but like the way she came up ground in the stretch. She is out of a Tactical Cat mare that has dropped five other turf winners including stakes winner Zip Cash Back ($70,366). She should get some pace to run at and runners coming from off the pace have had a fighting chance at the meet here at this distance.
Poppy Flower
One of two in here sent out by Ward, she took the field gate to wire to break her maiden last out at Belmont Park in her third career start. Note she beat the boys last out after running second two back in her turf debut. She earned the top last out speed fig in the effort. She owns solid early and mid pace numbers and Ward has won this race in three of the first six years it has been run. Five have come out of her maiden race to run back with a couple of thirds the best finishes.
Derrynane
This filly tracked the early pace while saving ground, angled of the rail and finished gamely to break her maiden in her debut by two lengths at even money in a field of 10. That was over good ground which we may catch again with rain in the forecast. She broke her maiden taking on state breds She is out of the turf stakes winner Portmagee ($215,800), this her first foal to race. Rosario sticks for Clement and the filly has a god work since her maiden score.
