The Saratoga summer conjunction is winding down, with at most three racing days left, and the New York track will go out with a bang over the Labor Day weekend with plenty of stakes action.
On Saturday, horseplayers will see four stakes on the eleven race card, with the Edward Evans owned Quality Road in remedy as the fat favorite in the $750,000 Woodward (G1).
After acting up at the gate and scratched out of the Breeders’ Cup Definitive (G1) last fall, the colt is nearly perfect.
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Victories in the Hal’s Anticipate (G3), Donn Handicap (G1), and Metropolitan Handicap (G1) sent the colt to the Whitney Disadvantage (G1) earlier at the Saratoga meeting as the heavy favorite.
The colt set the early fractions and looked as if he would run his note to a perfect four for four, only to be run down in the final strides by Blame.
“We were a half-a-head short of [being unbeaten] this year,” said trainer Todd Pletcher of his 4-year-old campaign. “Every race is paramount; they’re all important. If you lose, you regroup and have a stab again, to regain his confidence, and regain our confidence. ”
The Woodward,, which was won by Curlin and Rachel Alexandra the gone and forgotten two years, appears to be the perfect speckle as a confidence builder after Quality Road as he looks on paper to have his six foes overmatched.
The colt is the 1/4 morning specialty favorite, with only second choice Convocation (6/1) less than double-digit odds.
Quality Road figures to be such a heavy favorite that the link jumpers may be out in full meaning, and there may not be much room on the ledge if the colt fails to crack the top three.
Can we see an fit to be tied?
Here are the six rivals that will line up to attempt to draw ahead of a withdraw off one of the biggest upsets of the year, in record position order:
Convocation (6/1): The second choice on the morning limit, the Jimmy Jerkens tendril finished seven lengths behind Blue blood Road in the Met Mile (G1) back in May. The colt followed that up with a good second in the Suburban (G2) behind a talented runner in Haynesfield, then was all out to beat second level allowance foes in his tune up object of the Woodward. His 103 Beyer he earned in his last start is newer highest in the field behind the chalk.
Mine That Bird (10/1): The 2009 Kentucky Derby winner is winless in seven starts since taking the Run for the Roses last year. The gelding ran well in, the Belmont (G1) and West Virginia Derby (G3), both third place finishes but things have spiraled downward since. The hall of fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas took over as trainer this year, and the gelding has managed just an eighth place finish in the Firecracker (G2) and most recently a fifth place finish in the Whitney Handicap (G1). Today the gelding gets a jockey twitch to Rajiv Maragh and blinkers, which make clear the strategy today is to have the gelding closer to the pace.
Arcodoro (30/1): This colt made his first start on a fast conventional dirt in his most modern start, a victory past the Spa main track against first level allowance foes. The colt brings some speed to the race, but he would demand to run a career top just to be reticent to the favorite in here. He does have a win over the surface, and in just his second start over a fast main course, peradventure he still has some upside, but it would be a major upset if he lands in the exacta here.