Saratoga | Race 9 | Post Time 5:39 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up 

I’ll be interested to see how the public handles these two Michelle Nevin runners, either of whom could go favored. My Boy Tate (#3) has the better overall résumé, but he can be a little hard to trust at times. He threw in one of his occasional clunkers at Parx last time, failing to get involved over a sloppy main track as the even-money favorite. Now he returns off a brief freshening and would obviously be formidable if able to recapture top form. 

Our Last Buck (#4) is arguably more of a wild card since we haven’t seen him in over half a year. He was in the best form of his career over the winter at Aqueduct, following up an allowance score with a strong effort to win the Say Florida Sandy over My Boy Tate. However, now he has to prove that he can reach that same level off the bench. 

Wudda U Think Now (#5) is probably the most reliable option despite the fact that he exits a couple defeats at the allowance level. He was facing some very talented 3-year-olds in those races and was hardly disgraced either time. He’s posted consistent speed figures and handles this distance. I consider him the horse to beat, but I’m going in a different direction. 

While there is a bit of speed in this field, no one is as fast in the early going as FOOLISH GHOST (#7). I’ll be somewhat surprised if horses like Wudda U Think Now and Runningwscissors are sacrificed to go after him, so it’s possible that Foolish Ghost could be allowed to set a comfortable pace. He’s been in razor sharp form lately, with his only poor effort coming when he missed the break at Aqueduct in April. He ran especially well last time, as he got early pressure from a foe and still ran away from the field late. Horses have come back to validate that speed figure, and I think he’s very dangerous even stretching out an extra half-furlong.

THE PLAY

Win: 7

Exacta Key Box: 7 with 3,5,8

Trifecta: 7 with 3,5 with 3,4,5,8