We stay at Saratoga for today’s QPW and we will once again look at their ninth race on the card. This race is the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes which is for three-year-olds going a mile on the inner turf course. Post time for this race is for 5:45 pm Eastern time.
Saratoga Race 9 – National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes
Favored in today’s race is the 4 Neat (5/2 morning line) who comes into the race after winning at the end of June at Aqueduct in the Grade 3 Manila Stakes. He stalked the leader and took over in the stretch to win. He could be looking at the same trip here today at Saratoga.
The 5 Lagynos (9/2 ML) was briefly on the Road to the Kentucky Derby trail last spring and returned to the turf in April. He has closed well in all his turf races, whether it was in his debut at Kentucky Downs last September or his four races since April. He should be flying at the end of this race as he shortens from a mile and a sixteenth last time out at Churchill Downs.
The 8 Army Officer (7/2 ML) heads into stakes company for the first time today and should be ready for the challenge today. He won his turf debut in an optional claimer in May at Churchill and then drew off under Frankie Dettori despite drifting inward at the sixteenth pole. Dettori retains the ride here and should be able to guide this colt to victory here at Saratoga today.
The aforementioned horses should be chasing the 7 Barksdale (15/1 ML). He makes his debut on the turf today and will probably be on the lead like he has in his last four races. He has a front running speed advantage, but I doubt it will translate to running on the turf here today.
The 3 Zverev (4/1 ML) was closer to the pace last time out at Churchill when facing older horses about six weeks ago. He has been further back in the past and will probably be three to five lengths off the pace here today. If he runs up front with Barksdale, he will definitely end up off the board.
The interesting horse in this race is the 2 Buttercream Babe (8/1 ML). She will be facing the boys for the first time but could provide an upset here in the Hall of Fame Stakes here at Saratoga. She just missed last time out at Horseshoe Indianapolis. She was bumped around at the start of the race but recovered nicely to miss by a length in the Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap. She ran her best race two back in June at Saratoga, and a carbon copy of that race will lead her to a victory against the boys today.
Buttercream Babe will have a five-pound weight allowance as well for facing the boys here, and I think that will help her. The only question will be whether or not she has a cleaner start. I think she will here and that will be the difference from that race last month at Indy and today at Saratoga. Let’s call this 2-5-4-8 and my play is $20 to win on the 2. Best of luck to everyone and I’ll catch you with stakes action tomorrow from Saratoga both here and on my show “Also Eligible” on the Bleacher Brothers streaming plaforms!
Check out my stream “The Joe Quills Show” on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 9 pm Eastern on my Twitch, X and YouTube talking about the latest sports news and whatever comes up; and catch my horse racing show every Saturday at 10 am Eastern on the Bleacher Brothers platforms.