A field of 12 line up at Saratoga on Wednesday in the $100,000 Quik Call.. (© Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com
A dozen line up in Wednesday’s feature at Saratoga, the $100,000 Quik Call at 5 ½ furlongs on turf led by the Jason Servis trained World of Trouble.
The colt makes his turf debut in the Quik Call. The son of Kanthros has started five times on dirt including winning the Pasco at Tampa Bay Downs by 13 ¾ lengths.
Servis, who finished the Belmont Park meeting with 19 winners from just 42 starters, a 45% win clip, has cooled at the Spa, winning with just two of his first 15 starters. Last summer at the Saratoga meeting Servis hit with 11 of 35 starters (31%).
World of Trouble is the 3-1 morning line favorite despite not having raced on turf. He faces a competitive group including the Todd Pletcher trained Coltandmississippi (8-1), who is looking to rebound off a seventh-place finish in the Not Surprising Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The colt ran a good third in the Penn Mile (G2) in his previous outing.
Dirty (5-1) has won three of his last four starts and figures to take some action for the Jeremiah Englehart barn.
Through Monday trainer Chad Brown has taken control of the trainer standings with 18 winners from his 68 starters, winning at a 26% clip.
Steve Asmussen is having a strong meeting, winning with 11 of 36 starters (31%) while Todd Pletcher is third with 10 winner from 53 starters (19%).
Irad Ortiz Jr. has opened up a lead in the jockey standings with 23 winners from 104 mounts with Luis Saez second with 17 winners from 98 starters.
Jose Ortiz, who led all jockeys here last summer has struggled early at the meeting but is starting to show signs of moving up, currently with 11 winners from 91 mounts (11%).
Let’s head out to the Spa for Wednesday’s featured race of the day:
Saratoga Race 9 The Quik Call (Post time 5:40 ET)
#1 World of Trouble 3-1
#11 Coltandmississippi 8-1
#7 Dirty 5-1
#6 Shangroyal 8-1
Analysis: World of Trouble makes his first start on turf here for the Servis barn that is 35% winners (with a +ROI) overall in turf sprints. This guy won the seven-furlong Pasco by 13 3/4 lengths in his first start this year then ran well in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) in a third-place finish. He returns in the Woody Stephens (G2) off a three-month breaking and weakened to finish fourth after pressing the early pace. The colt has a decent enough turf pedigree, out of a Valid Expectations mare that has dropped four other winners including one turf winner.
Coltandmississippi was the beaten chalk last out going a mile on turf at Gulfstream Park where he tracked the early pace, got into the mix on the far turn and ran out of gas in the stretch in a seventh-place finish. Three back going six furlongs on turf in the Bridgetown he made a good late rally to finish third, beaten just a half-length for the top spot. The runner up in that race was Nootka Sound, who came back to win the off the turf Soaring Softly (G3) in her next outing on May 19. The blinkers come off and he cuts back to a spring here for Pletcher who is 21% winners moving runners form route to sprint.
Dirty has won three of his last four starts, last out beating Md bred or sired Alw-2 foes by five lengths at this distance. The colt took the field gate to wire two back to beat $50,000 starter allowance foes at Belmont Park. The Englehart trainee comes in here off a career top where he won with a little something left in the tank.
Wagering
WIN: #1 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 1,11 / 1,6,7,11
TRI: 1,11 / 1,6,7,11 / 1,2,6,7,11
