Today's Best Bets

Saratoga Race Course Sunday, August 16, 2020 Meet Total ... 74-226

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Turf picks are turf only - unless otherwise indicated.

2020 Best Bets Picks/Plays archive.

Yesterday

3-11. String of four straight "B" winners was a little bit frustrating... R1 ... ACx 4.00 x 22.60; R2 ... Bxx; R3 ... Bxx; R4 ... BDAC x 42.80 t 77.00 s 222.00; R5 ... BDx x 40.60; R7 ... Axx "D" scr 5.40; R8 ... ECx 88.00; R9 ... Axx 4.30; R10 .. EBAD x 63.50 t 211.00 s 899.00

Weather: Mostly sunny, warm, a still a little bit humid. Clouded over a bit later in the afternoon and barely sprinkled leading to the track being sealed during the running of turfy R8 Saratoga Derby in prep for return to sunshine and a harrowed dirt track for R9 Alabama.

["A" is our top pick, "B" the second selection, and so on...]

Today

FIRST RACE
Cantata...Expensive yearling buy. Sib Desert Peace was a debut winner at Kempton in the UK and won two of first three.
School of Thought...It's a Chad/Klaravich firster -- always worth paying attention to -- but sibs not much.
Stone town...Perhaps benefits from the first-out experience.
Nevisian Sunrise.

SECOND RACE
Seize the Hay...Pletcher trainee makes potent class move.
Complex System...Owner/trainer duo might be re-heating at the meet and add to that the class move.
Bold Gem...Outran his odds here on 7/26 and might move forward from that.
Chocolate Bar.

THIRD RACE
Pick Up the Fone...Seems in good form in last two in and around this level.
Lady C...Dangerous with the class relief.
Rude Awakening...Also dangerous -- taking a class drop and getting back to dirt.
Our Lady of Loreto.

FOURTH RACE
Skye Snow...Been running better vs lesser.
Lido Key...Moves in for a tag.
Tradeable...Solid try on the stretchout last time.
Sterling Beauty.

FIFTH RACE
Pillar Mountain...Won't be shocked to see improvement off of seasonal debut for leading jock and trainer.
Nakamura...Solid Beyers fit well with this bunch.
He's No Lemon..Capable on best.
Midnight Tea Time.

SIXTH RACE
Market Impact...Moves into new barn for reduced level in second career start for potent owner.
Striking Speed...Speed. Back to dirt and moving down the claiming ladder.
Seize the Day...Better than latest effort.
Lost in Rome.
Breithorn.

SEVENTH RACE
La Hara...Solid Saturday seems to have the trainer back on track and this one looks good off the second to a freakish performance last time [and Colonel Liam ran an OK fourth in the Saratoga Derby yesterday].
Duress...A little trouble - but still ran a lifetime best Beyer in 2020 debut.
Oak Hill...Promising so far.
Mo Gotcha.

EIGHTH RACE
Bertranda...Has good positional speed and has tended to be in the mix more often than not over the past two seasons.
Fierce Lady...Close to top pick last time.
Jc's Shooting Star...Perhaps interesting going turf-to-dirt with the class move.
Letmetakethiscall.
Prairie Fire.

NINTH RACE - $500K Saratoga Oaks
Enola Gay...Lightly-raced but already a gutsy stakes winner.
Speaktomeofsummer...Slight more experienced than the top pick - and a two-time stakes winner.
Stunning Sky...Just nipped by Speaktomeofsummer last time.
Antoinette.
Ricetta.

TENTH RACE
Southern Bridge...Cutback. Class relief. Turf-to-dirt.
Red Zinger...Makes a class move we really like - state-bred alw into open conditional claimer... But, will it be potent off the layoff and move to new barn???
Yankee Empire...Seems in good form.
Scocciatore.
Liam's Fire.

If we are interested in both halves of an entry -- in event of a scratch -- it is noted that way [in other words, both halves are named]. If only one-half of the entry is named, then we prefer that half and will move to our next pick listed [rather than the other half of the entry] in event of a scratch.

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