All eight of my SHOWdown entries survived yesterday, although it was a little dicey. My Princess Jess knifed through a sliver of daylight and cut down the tiring pacesetter Stealin’ Kisses en route to a solid victory in the Lake George S. (G2), but she had to survive a stewards inquiry into the stretch run. The Barclay Tagg trainee, who could have been placed fifth, completed her final sixteenth on soft ground in less than six seconds (1:38.09 to 1:44) and has quickly developed into a top-tier, three-year-old turf filly. D. Wayne Lukas, the trainer of Stealin’ Kisses, was not too happy with the results.
Both Mushka and Hamsa hit the board in the third, thereby moving those entries forward. My only pari-mutuel play was a small win-place wager on the juvenile Pious David, who finished third at 8-5 in the second.
On today’s card, the New York-bred Rollers comes off the shelf in the first, but I’ll just watch because I am concerned about the layoff and the fact he has been training at Delaware Park, as opposed to Belmont Park, where his conditioner, Tagg, is based.
In the second, I will be keeping a close eye on the well-named Munnings, who was the second-highest price at $1.7 million at the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale. Now trained by Todd Pletcher for the Coolmore group, Munnings smoked one furlong in :10 flat at the under tack show. His workouts leading up to his debut look fairly average, but you know this horse is fast. His primary rivals include the Nick Zito-trained Just a Coincidence, the Lukas-trained Great Crusade, and the Bill Mott trainees.
The top price at the Calder sale was Sanford S. (G2) winner Desert Party ($2.1 million, :10 2/5) (see below). The third-highest price was the promising Pletcher-trained Mr. Mistoffelees ($1.5 million, :10 1/5).
I don’t see any opportunities in the middle of the card, which includes a clash between Unbridled’s Heart, Stevil, and to a lesser extent, August Rex, in the fourth. A couple of sleepers are Elusive Pleasure, who goes Polytrack-to-turf-to-dirt, in the sixth, and Notional, an impressive winner of the Salvator Mile H. (G3), in the Whitney H. (G1). Champion Ginger Punch is an obvious standout in the Go for Wand H. (G1), a race she won last year by six lengths.
The four graded stakes races will be televised live on ABC, beginning at 4 p.m. (EDT). I doubt I will wager any real money on any one of them. There is a Pick 4 with a guaranteed $500,000 pool on those four races.
On the other hand, my old friend Lewis Michael returns to action in the Sea o’Erin H. at Arlington Park. For the most part, I typically bet this horse six ways to Sunday every time he runs. Trained by Wayne Catalano, Lewis Michael, who is a full brother to champion Dreaming of Anna, can be a quirky sort, but he should have these over a barrel. I’m hoping for somewhere between even money and 2-1.
In Saratoga Springs, it was sunny and 74 degrees, with a dew point of 62, at 9:45 a.m. There is a possibility of stray showers or a thunderstorm late in the day.
As usual, I will return to post my SHOWdown plays, once the entries are closed.
Tags: Barclay Tagg, Coolmore, Desert Party, handicapping, Lewis Michael, Munnings, Saratoga, Saratoga selections, Saratoga spot plays, Saratoga Springs, SHOWdown, The Joyce Report, Todd Pletcher, Wayne Catalano, Whitney
