Saratoga Horse Racing Picks for Friday 7/31/20
It's a great time to dive into horse racing, and FanDuel Racing gives you the chance to do just that.
Starting at 1:10 p.m. EST, we have 10 races at Saratoga. Using our numberFire projections as a guide, here are some of the best bets.
As always, check the program for scratches and changes, and check the weather and track conditions.
(I will reference Equibase's Speed Figure in selected races, which tells you how fast a horse has been running in each of its races -- adjusted for track, distances, and conditions).
Liza Star, Race 4
FanDuel Racing Odds: 9/5
Race 4 is an Allowance race and a consensus pick on the favorite Liza Star (9/5). She’s racing for the $80K Optional Claiming tag in this 6 furlong sprint. Daily Horse Picks rates her best in speed and pace ahead of Lady T N T (7/2). Guaranteed Tip Sheet makes Liza Star a best bet, and numberFire picks her on top followed by Pacific Gate (5/2).
Liza Star is an 11-time winner and off a front-running win as favorite late last month with a 96 speed figure. No value at very low odds to win, and if you add a horse to your Pick 3 and horizontal bets, consider What a Fox (4/1). She can make a move down the lane into a projected fast pace and has a pair of excellent morning works returning to the track for nobody’s favorite EPO trainer Diodoro. What a Fox won a pair of races earlier this year while hitting a career-best 107 speed figure.
Miss J McKay and Shippy, Race 9
FanDuel Racing Odds: 5/1 and 12/1
Race 9 is the $100K Coronation Cup Stakes. The two horses on the inside are scratched -- Always Inthe Munny (12/1) and Karak (6/1).That leaves seven 3-year-old fillies sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the turf but more than a handful are capable contenders.
The top two choices at numberFire are the European fillies Bredenbury (9/2) and She’s My Type (3/1). Those two finished 1-2 in a minor stakes race at Belmont last month with Bredenbury’s pace-pressing win holding off a wide turn and late charge from race favorite She’s My Type, who is conditioned by the meet's leading trainer Cristophe Clement. Miss J McKay (5/1) and leading rider Jose Ortiz finished third breaking from the far outside three lengths behind the winner. She was off a long layoff, and Miss J McKay has hit the board in all six starts including a dominant stakes win last fall.
Arties Princess (7/2) with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard is trying the grass for the first time. But she’s won three of four starts on the synthetic surface at Woodbine, and her low triple-digit speed figures match the favorites.
Longshot Shippy (12/1) missed by a nose as the favorite in her only turf try in April, and she’s been competitive in graded stakes last year on the dirt. Maturing and improving, she won impressively on the front end July 11, and trainer George Weaver likes her form and brings her back on turf.
