Showers and thunderstorms on Sunday washed out the last four turf races on Sunday’s card, but the rains ended Sunday evening and hopefully the turf will be suitable for Monday’s racing.
Five of the ten races on Monday are carded for the turf including the Waya, which is scheduled for 1 ½ miles on the inner turf course.
The Bill Mott trained coupled entry of Imperial Pippin and Starformer are the 3-1 morning line favorites.
Starformer is the stronger half of the entry, taking the field gate to wire last out to win the Robert G. Dick Memorial (G3) at Delaware Park
The top three finishers in that race are back, and they have to go an extra furlong here.
The recent trend in stakes at the Spa has been to look for longshots. The latest was Poseidon’s Warrior, who pulled off the upset in Sunday’s Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G2), returning $74.50 for the victory.
In Saturday’s graded stakes action Emma’s Encore rolled by the 4-5 chalk Agave Kiss in the stretch to win the Prioress (G1) paying $12.40, and Fort Larned got the job done in the Whitney Handicap (G1) as the fifth choice, returning his backers $16.40.
Michael Dempsey provides his selections for Saratoga each racing day. Mike’s Best Plays Report is available each weekend, with his strongest plays and selections including the top stakes races.
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Let’s head out to Saratoga for Monday’s featured race of the day:
Saratoga Race 8 The Richmor Aviation Waya (4:55 ET)
2 Bubbly Jane 9-2
5 Pinch Pie 12-1
11 Bizzy Caroline 5-1
1 Imperial Pippin / 1a Starformer 3-1
Analysis: Bubbly Jane is coming off a runner up finish last out at Delaware Park in the Dick Memorial (G3) unable to get Starformer, who was able to get away with soft early fractions in a gate to wire score. The mare made a good late run to finish the lengths back of the winner as the 9-5 favorite. Two back off the bench she ran a good second in the Mohegan Sky behind Dealbata, who came back to finish second in the restricted De la Rose here on Saturday. The seven year old mare looks as if she is sitting on a top effort here in her third start off a nine month layoff for the Todd Pletcher barn.
Pinch Pie made her last start at Philly, pressing the early pace in the James Penny Memorial (G3) and fading to finish eighth. That race has produced a couple of next out stakes winners. The runner up Hessonite came back to win the state bred Irish Linnett on July 27 here, and the third place finisher Julie’s Love won the De la Rose on Saturday. The Tony Dutrow runner has done her best work coming from off the pace, and if Dominguez takes this gal back today she figures to bounce back with a much better effort here, and her 12-1 morning line looks generous.
Bizzy Caroline won the Mint Julep (G3) two back in a game effort at Churchill Downs, then regressed last out in a fifth place finish in the Modesty Handicap (G3). She was fifth but beaten less than a length in the American Oaks (G3) last summer at Hollywood Park and looks as if she may be able to handle the 1 1/2 miles here. She has the pedigree to go longer, by Afleet Alex out of a Saint Ballado mare.
Wagering
WIN: #2 to win at 7-2 or better.
EX: 2,5 / 1,2,5,11
TRI: 2,5 / 1,2,5,11 / 1,2,5,7,11
