We have two graded 1 stakes races today, and I have done my handicapping and am wondering who everyone here is taking. I find these races very hard to cap as all of them seem very good.
Saratoga Grade 1 $250,000 Purse
The ML favorite is Royal Delta, who going back to the race replay did run an impressive and fast race beating PP1 Buster's ready. Now Buster's Ready did come back to win Mother Goose Stakes, over PP3 Joyful Victory. Joyful Victory won't be getting my money today, failing to win the last 2 races, and losing to Buster's Ready and Plum Pretty.
Feeling like I can remove Joyful Victory, I move on to removing Royal Delta, I just believe she is out-classed here today, in the first grade 1 stakes race she will be in. Additionally, her last race was in May, if was really in top-notch form, I think she would have been raced in June. After all she was raced in March-April-May.
Therefore, we've got Buster's Ready, Plum Pretty and It's Tricky. Now I was at Hollywood Park when Zazu ran an impressive race over Plum Pretty. The set up for the race was quite odd, at the time I didn't understand why Barffert Bob (trainer for Plum Pretty) didn't enter the Mother Goose Stakes. On the parade Plum Pretty just didn't look into it, not on toes, etc. Now, Berffert Bob did decide to go back to the grade 1 here, so I am thinking that means she has been training better, and wasn't training well a month ago, and skipped Mother Goose and tried to win a race again Zazu which Plum Pretty had beating before. Buster's Ready looked in great form at Mother Goose. It's Tricky only has 5 races under her belt, and had a bad trip at this distance. I'd like to see her win at more than 1 mile before she gets my money.
So I really think this race comes down to Plum Pretty and Buster's Ready. And there, I have to lean to Plum Pretty, better class, more races under her belt. She will move back to the dirty from the track at hollywood park, and I think her trainer believe she's 'sharp and ready'. So I will be watching the feed closely to see if I think Plum Pretty is ready to go. If she is on her toes, then she is the choice. If she is quiet and looking tired... then it will be Buster's Ready.
Pick: Plum Pretty
Will be back later with the Del Mar graded stakes pick...
It would be appreciated if other people might go through how they made their choices. I'm still quite new to this (~3 months) and am still trying to figure out how to 'think' through these races, particularly at the high classes. For those of you who have been following me, you might see that I seem to understand the 2-turn turf races quite well, I'm batting a 0.750 today and doing quite well overall
. But 1 and 2 turn dirt, still not doing so great.
Good Luck to all today!!!!
Saratoga Grade 1 $250,000 Purse
The ML favorite is Royal Delta, who going back to the race replay did run an impressive and fast race beating PP1 Buster's ready. Now Buster's Ready did come back to win Mother Goose Stakes, over PP3 Joyful Victory. Joyful Victory won't be getting my money today, failing to win the last 2 races, and losing to Buster's Ready and Plum Pretty.
Feeling like I can remove Joyful Victory, I move on to removing Royal Delta, I just believe she is out-classed here today, in the first grade 1 stakes race she will be in. Additionally, her last race was in May, if was really in top-notch form, I think she would have been raced in June. After all she was raced in March-April-May.
Therefore, we've got Buster's Ready, Plum Pretty and It's Tricky. Now I was at Hollywood Park when Zazu ran an impressive race over Plum Pretty. The set up for the race was quite odd, at the time I didn't understand why Barffert Bob (trainer for Plum Pretty) didn't enter the Mother Goose Stakes. On the parade Plum Pretty just didn't look into it, not on toes, etc. Now, Berffert Bob did decide to go back to the grade 1 here, so I am thinking that means she has been training better, and wasn't training well a month ago, and skipped Mother Goose and tried to win a race again Zazu which Plum Pretty had beating before. Buster's Ready looked in great form at Mother Goose. It's Tricky only has 5 races under her belt, and had a bad trip at this distance. I'd like to see her win at more than 1 mile before she gets my money.
So I really think this race comes down to Plum Pretty and Buster's Ready. And there, I have to lean to Plum Pretty, better class, more races under her belt. She will move back to the dirty from the track at hollywood park, and I think her trainer believe she's 'sharp and ready'. So I will be watching the feed closely to see if I think Plum Pretty is ready to go. If she is on her toes, then she is the choice. If she is quiet and looking tired... then it will be Buster's Ready.
Pick: Plum Pretty
Will be back later with the Del Mar graded stakes pick...
It would be appreciated if other people might go through how they made their choices. I'm still quite new to this (~3 months) and am still trying to figure out how to 'think' through these races, particularly at the high classes. For those of you who have been following me, you might see that I seem to understand the 2-turn turf races quite well, I'm batting a 0.750 today and doing quite well overall
. But 1 and 2 turn dirt, still not doing so great.Good Luck to all today!!!!
