At the Gate – Friday

It’s Friday but today’s Saratoga card feels like a Saturday with three stakes on tap.

The stakes action kicks off with the seventh race, the $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2). The race is restricted to three-year-olds with a field of eight going to the post.

As you can see below I landed on Global Access in this wide open race. The Mike Trombetta trainee made his last three starts north of the border, running a good third in the Charlie Barley at Woodbine in his last outing.

Next up is the $100,000 Alydar for four-year-olds and upward going nine furlongs on the main track. The race is restricted to non-winners of a stakes race in 2019 other than state bred.

Tom’s d’Etat is coming off a third in the Stephen Foster (G1) at Churchill Downs and is the 7-5 morning line favorite. The intriguing runner is the Chad Brown trained Backyard Heaven (6-1) who won last year’s Alysheba (G2) with a 105 Beyer.

He has made just three starts since and now he makes his second start off the layoff for the meeting’s leading barn.

The highlight of the day is the first running of the Saratoga Oaks which drew a field of six. Concrete Rose, winner of the Belmont Oaks (G1) is the 2-5 morning line favorite.

Don’t forget we have another big day on Saturday with five stakes highlighted by the $1 million Whitney (G1), a “Win and You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).

Now is the perfect time to purchase my Monthly Package. It gives you a month of Saratoga Reports daily and my Best Plays Report each Saturday and Sunday.

To purchase my Saratoga Report for Friday click here .

Here is the opening race from Saratoga to get the day off to a good start:

SAR Race 1 Md $20,000 (1:00 ET)
#3 Odie 7-2
#4 Northern Haze 9-2
#8 Justice of War 8-5
#2 Power Boss 6-1

Analysis: Odie caught a sloppy track last out that was playing to indie speed. She stalked the early pace after getting pinched back coming out of the gate and finished evenly in a fourth-place finish. Two back at Keeneland for a $20,000 tag the gelding was a solid second, beaten a length. The Ward trainee has posted a couple of bullet works in Lexington and fits well in this spot here. She is the first foal to race out of a El Corredor mare.

Northern Haze makes his fir start on the main track here after three tries on turf. Last out for a $75,000 tag the colt tracked the early pace and weakened to finish fourth. He cuts back to a sprint here for the Terranova barn while dropping in versus much easier. The colt is out of the stakes winner Designer Legs ($211,048), her first foal to race. The barn is 23% winners (with a +ROI) moving runners from turf to dirt.

Wagering
WIN: #3 to win at 5-2 or better.
EX: 3,4 / 2,3,4,8
TRI: 3,4 / 2,3,4,8 / 2,3,4,7,8

Today’s Featured Race of the Day from Saratoga:

SAR Race 7 The Hall of Fame G2 (4:39 ET)
#7 Global Access 6-1
#5 Casa Creed 3-1
#4 Award Winner 7-2
#3 English Bee 9-2

Analysis: Global Access has made his last three starts at Woodbine, last out making a good late rally to finish a close up third in the Charlie Barley over good ground going a mile. The colt won the Marine (G3) over the synthetic surface. The colt did win the Florida bred Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs back in March for his lone win on turf in four tries. The colt has put in five straight solid efforts and now picks up Johnny V. He should be able to work out a good trip sitting mid pack and the 6-1 morning line looks fair enough in this wide-open race.

Casa Creed stalked the early pace and finished up well in a third-place finish in the Manila last out at Belmont Park going a mile, beaten a half-length by Win Win Win. Two back he came with a good late rally while unable to get by Moon Colony late in a runner up finish in the Penn Mile (G2). He ran well on turf at Gulfstream Park earlier this year, running second in the Palm Beach (G3) and winning the Kitten’s Joy. The Mott trainee owns solid early and mid pace numbers and figures to be right in the mix early in this spot.

Award Winner was able to set moderate early fractions and battled on gamely to come up just a neck short at even money in the Kent (G3) last out at Delaware Park in his stakes debut. He was a smart Alw-1 winner two back in his fourth try at the condition. Three back at Keeneland he was a game second behind Demarchelier, who came back to win the Pennine Ridge (G3) in his next start on June 1. He has just three starts on turf and appears to still have some upside. He has a solid turf pedigree, out of the turf stakes winner Devine Actress ($107,300) who has dropped three other turf winners including $1.5 million earner Oscar Nominated and $2.3 million earner Oscar Performance.

Wagering
WIN: #7 to win at 9-2 or better.
EX: 5,7 / 3,4,5,7
TRI: 5,7 / 3,4,5,7 / 3,4,5,6,7

Live Longshots:
These are price plays for exotic players looking to find a couple of extra contenders to use in their trifecta and superfecta wagers. Or for those with smaller bankrolls, you might want to get in a small win-place wager.

Saratoga
R4: #4 Storm Prophet 8-1
R6: #9 Nutzforboltz 12-1
R6: 32 Soulmate 8-1
R9: #3 Coral Beach 12-1
R10: #5 Tarallucci 8-1
R10: #8 Fika 8-1

Good luck today!