Free Picks For Saratoga - 8/5/20

Race 3 - Allowance (Purse - $64,000)

Six New York foaled horses will go five furlongs on the turf. #7 Freewheeler is racing for the first time in over eight months but the 3-year-old son of City Zip should be able to set the pace in this one as he has the outside post and is the fastest of the competitors. Freewheeler has trained well recently and has a second-place showing in the Grade 3 Futurity Stakes back in October.#6 Three Outlaws is coming off an outstanding performance, registering a career-best ESpeed rating of 95, while winning his 2020 debut at this distance against $50,000 starter allowance foes on July 25. It was the 4-year-old gelding's first win on the turf in six tries. #3 Inside Info returns to the grass for the first time since making her career debut almost a year ago. The 3-year-old gelding has won consecutive races with the last one coming against $16,000 claimers going six-and-one-half furlongs. This is Inside Info’s first start at the current distance.

Picks: I like a win on the #7.

Race 4 - Summer Colony Stakes (Purse - $85,000)

This one and one-eighth mile race is for fillies and mares 4-years-old and upwards that have not won a stakes race in 2020. It appears that #1 Golden Award, #2 Bellera, and #4 Nonna Madeline is far superior to the other two runners. I am going with Bellera to the best Golden Award. Bellera is the classiest of the competitors with a Grade 3 win and is coming off a third-place performance in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap on July 11. The 4-year-old Florida filly, who is out of Todd Pletcher’s barn, has run well at this distance and has two wins along with two third-place efforts in five stakes races on dirt. Additionally, Bellera has a 60% strike rate at this distance. Golden Award has hit the ticket in four of seven Graded Stakes races but has been outclassed in Grade 1 events, after failing to finish for the second time in her last four outings in the Ogden Phipps Stakes at Belmont Park in June. The 5-year-old Kentucky mare has also run really well at this distance and has two career wins at this distance. Nonna Madeline has finished second in her last two races and was clearly second best to Letruska in the $60,000 Added Elegance Stakes on June 27. Another Todd Pletcher horse, the 4-year-old Kentucky filly has finished in the top 3 in half of her six stakes races though she is making her debut at this distance.

Picks: I am going with a win bet on the #2.

Race 9 - Allowance Optional Claiming $62,500 (Purse - $76,000)

Six fillies and mares 3-years-old and upwards are slated to go one and one-sixteenth miles on the turf. This should be an exceptionally competitive race. I like the #5 Kressie as she has been running well despite not getting any results for her efforts. The 5-year-old mare is the most experienced of the runners on the turf, winning 21% of the time on the grass, and is tied with Foxtail with two wins at the current distance. Kressie also has run well at this distance. #4 She’s Got You is primed to improve on her third-place performance in her US debut going one mile at this level last month at Belmont Park. The 4-year-old Great Britain horse has cashed in seven of eight starts overall.#1 Miss Teheran is making her U.S. debut and is racing for the first time since 2018. The 4-year-old Irish filly, who owns a 4-2-0-1 lifetime record, is under the direction of trainer Chad Brown and has jockey Irad Ortiz onboard.

Picks: I am going with a win bet on the #5. I also will go with a #5, #4 exacta box. Additionally, I will put a show bet on the #1.