We head to our East Coast summer hangout, as we head to Saratoga for today’s Quills Picks Winners as we will take a look at the fifth race on Wednesday’s card. We have New York-bred three-year-old fillies going a mile and a sixteenth on the inner turf in the Suzie O’Cain Stakes today. Post time is set for approximately 3:26 pm Eastern time.
We have ten fillies entered, but we do have a main track only entrant in the 10 Landed (3/5 morning line). If this race for some reason is off the turf, stop reading the rest of this article and just play the 10, end of story. But the weather has been nice since Tropical Storm exited stage right a few days ago, so there is no reason to move this to the main track. So expect Landed to be scratched.
Saratoga Race 5 – Suzie O’Cain Stakes
The morning line favorite amongst the turf entrants in today’s race is the 6 Awesome Czech (5/2 ML). She stalked the pace last time out against state breds in an allowance race last time out. She could even be on the front end like in the Tepin last year, but I think she will stalk.
There is the potential for a duel on the front end, but I think it would be two or three fillies on the front end here though the pace may be your typical slower pace in New York. The 5 Bossy Jeans (10/1 ML) broke her maiden in July at Aqueduct and the 9 Red Burgundy makes her 2024 debut after four races on the front end last year.
It is very possible that Alette d’Oro (20/1 ML) could be up there as well. She was near the front in her maiden breaker last month. She could add to the speed if she’s fast enough at the start of this race today at Saratoga.
The 2 Summer Whirl (3/1 ML) broke her maiden last time out going a mile. She has shown great closing ability so far in her three race career so far and could do the same thing today.
The 3 Downtown Channel (10/1 ML) had been bumped around in her last two races at Saratoga, though she did win that race in June. The race a few weeks ago she didn’t have the kick she had in her maiden breaker but could improve with a less eventful ride.
The 4 Boxed Wine (6/1 ML) closed well last time out and could get at least a piece of this as well here. She has been facing allowance foes here at Saratoga and Aqueduct.
I don’t think we will have a crazy speed duel on the front end, but I do think the leaders up front are going to tire because of the mental strain of being on the front end with other fillies around. I think Summer Whirl will close again today and win her second career race today.
Let’s call this race 2-3-6-4 and my play is $20 to win on the 2. Good luck everyone!
QPW Update Desk
- Preakness winner Seize the Grey will not run in the Grade 1 Travers on August 24 and will be pointed towards the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on September 21. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas sites the poor performances that the colt had at Saratoga in the Belmont Stakes and the Jim Dandy for the reason to head south to Bensalem, PA.
- The Travers Stakes will be drawn on Sunday and it is a projected field of eight going the mile and a quarter in the Summer Derby.
- My Boy Prince is the 7/5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s King’s Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, at Woodbine in Toronto. Thirteen horses were drawn into the mile and a quarter test.
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