We head to Saratoga for week number three of their meet, and today at The Spa, we will take a look at the seventh race on the card, the Honorable Miss, which is a Grade 2 race for fillies and mares going six furlongs on the main track. Post time for this race is for 4:34 pm Eastern time.
Note that we do have three horses here that are cross entered to races tomorrow. The 2 Everyoneloveslinda (30/1 morning line), the 3 Freedom Speaks (20/1 ML) and the Hot Fudge (15/1 ML) are all cross entered to the ninth race on Thursday at Saratoga, which is the Caress Stakes, and will be our featured race tomorrow barring anything unforeseen.
Hot Fudge and Everyoneloveslinda are both entered for the main track only in this Grade 3 turf sprint running tomorrow at Saratoga. Freedom Speaks however, is in the main field and has run well on the turf. I expect Everyoneloveslinda and Hot Fudge to run in today’s race despite being longshots, while I think Freedom Speaks will scratch. By the time the readers of the QPW get to this point, we should know what the changes will be for this race.
The 8 Munnys Gold (2/1 ML) is favored in this race, and she is going to go for the lead. She is second race off of the layoff after winning an allowance here at Saratoga last month during Belmont week. She is graded stakes placed finishing second in the Eight Belles at Churchill, and is going back to graded stakes company.
She may have company on the front end with the 6 Spirit Wind (3/1 ML). Mike Smith is slated to ride, and there are the races that Mike Smith rides in now in the twilight of his career. Hie picks and chooses his races, and the fact that he stays on for this race. She actually stalked the pace last time out which had not happened often, but will she do the same thing as she did at Lone Star, or will she return to her front running ways in her Saratoga debut.
The 1 Accede (4/1 ML) could benefit from a potential speed duel here. She was off the pace in her 2024 debut at Keeneland and then was in the lead, dropped back and then came back again going seven furlongs at Aqueduct. Her numbers are trending in the right direction and if she gets the right scenario here, she could win this race over the two favorites.
The 4 Clearly Unhinged (5/1 ML) was dueling early on at Churchill Downs in the Winning Colors with some blistering early fractions, but she can rate here as well. She just missed last year in the Grade 1 Test here at Saratoga, and if she replicates that performance going a furlong shorter today than that day last August, her connections will be able to refer to here as a Grade 2 winner.
Keep an eye on the early dirt races at Saratoga. We will not have a great sample size in terms of how the dirt course is playing with three dirt races before this one but take notes in case we see a pattern in those races early on today. Sometime I just feel that the first day after a couple of days off can be tricky in handicapping the races, or maybe that is just me.
I do see a speed duel developing. I see Munnys Gold and Spirit Wind going for the lead, softening each other up for Accede and Clearly Unhinged when the fillies and mares reach the stretch. I think Accede has the best chance out of today’s field to win this race from off the pace. Let’s call this race 1-4-8-6 and my play is $20 to win on the 1. Good luck everyone!
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