All Clear
Training over the repaired main track on Saturday morning.
The sky is blue, clouds are few, and any rain predicted is expected to pass to the north. After yesterday’s early afternoon wash out, the main track is restored to normal, the turf listed as yielding. So far, the weather is perfect for an 11-race Saratoga card featuring four overnight stakes for NY-breds. Complaints about the line-up can be found here and there, but I prefer to think NYRA is doing horseplayers a courtesy, freeing fans from any distracting local graded stakes that might take away from Arlington Million day (well covered by both Superfecta and Gathering the Wind), while (mostly) full fields make for an afternoon of good betting.
I embarrassed myself a bit earlier on the backstretch by saying that I liked Plan, recently purchased by IEAH, in the Arlington Million when what I meant was the Secretariat; as for the Million, reduced to seven due to the scratch of Sudan, I’m leaning towards Einstein, “progressively … better as he’s gone along,” to upset likely favorite Archipenko. The Beverly D. comes up the toughest of three, with a class field all around, including Mauralakana, hometown filly Dreaming of Anna, and the dangerous Precious Kitten. Cornelio Velasquez abandons Saratoga for the day to ride 8-1 ML Rosinka for Graham Motion. Interesting …
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