Quick Call Stakes
We finish out the first week of the Saratoga season with the Quick Call Stakes which is for three-year-olds going five and a half furlongs on the turf course. Post time for this race is set for 5:45 pm Eastern time and can be seen on FS1.
We have two horses that are cross entered. The 4 Feltrinelli (30/1 ML) and the 9 Apollo Ten (15/1 ML) are both entered for the fifth race at Monmouth Park in the My Frenchman Stakes. It looks like that race is the better option for both of those horses than here at Saratoga.
We also have two main track only entrants in Baraye (7/5 ML) and Works for Me (6/5 ML). they would have a distinct advantage if the very unlikely event that this race was taken off the turf. But this race is not coming off the turf today at Saratoga.
The heavy favorite is the 6 Star of Mystery (4/5 morning line) who was scratched from Friday’s feature race at Saratoga (The Coronation Cup) to run here. She is head and shoulders the class of this field as she wintered in Dubai facing some of the toughest horses in the world. She faced the boys in those four races in Dubai including three races against older horses at a time where we do not see that in America.
She made her North American debut in the Jaipur here at Saratoga on Belmont Day, and she got blocked around the 3/16 pole but still closed well to finish second against older. Here, she is facing the boys for the sixth straight time in 2024 and should find this field to her liking today.
The 3 Fandom (9/2 ML) last raced in April at Keeneland and won at this distance in his three-year-old debut. There was a change of trainers from Wesley Ward to Brad Cox, but that is a lateral move as both trainers are top notch.
Fandom was wide all the way around yet had the perfect move to win this race by a neck. He is going to try to do the same here today at Saratoga.
The 1 No Nay Mets (8/1 ML) showed little in the Jaipur last month and should be better suited going against straight three year olds here. He looks like a colt that should be gunning for the lead. He has not shown that in his last two races but a return to that tactic could led to at least a return to hitting the board, and possibly stealing this race.
The 2 Smokey Smokey (12/1 ML) could be dueling with No Nay Mets or could be at the hip of the 1. Smokey has been more consistently on the front end in his last four races including the win in May in the Paradise Creek at Aqueduct going six furlongs.
The 5 Mansa Musa may also have a necessary closing kick here. He defeated older horses in an allowance race at Saratoga on Belmont Day and finished second to Fandom back in April.
This race is all about the 6 Star of Mystery and the extreme class advantage she has here facing the boys. I think she will be right behind the leaders and pounce as they turn for home. She won’t have as much in the way of traffic issues like she had in the Jaipur. I’ll call this race 6-3-5-1 and today’s play will be a $10 exacta key with the 6 over the 1, 3 and 5. That will cost $30 at a $10 increment. Best of luck everyone and enjoy today’s races at The Spa!
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