saratoga | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cross Country Pick 5 Ending With Vanderbilt Pays $1,277

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5 returned $1,277.75 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager. Encompassing action from Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack, the sequence's total pool was $163,442.

Woodbine kicked off the wager when Afleet Katherine edged Perfection Cat by a head to win Race 9, an allowance for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up. Trained by Kevin Attard, whose Starship Jubilee upset champion Sistercharlie earlier in the day in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga, Afleet Katherine returned $14.50 on a $2 win wager.

Monmouth, located in Oceanport, N.J., hosted the second leg, as Croatian outkicked Lookin at Roses by a head to win a starter handicap going 1 1/16 miles on the main track. Trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, Croatian paid $3.40 as the favorite on the fast track in Race 11.

Action shifted to historic Saratoga for the third leg, with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. piloting Turbo Drive to a one-length win in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance in Race 9. Off at 17-1, the Mike Maker trainee paid $36.60, rallying from 11th after three-quarters of a mile for a furious charge that saw the New York-bred run down the competition in the final furlong.

Back at Woodbine for Race 10, Red Hierarchy cruised to a six-length win in the 6 ½-furlong sprint on the Rexdale, Ontario-based all-weather track. Trained by Jamie Attard, Red Hierarchy went off as the favorite, paying $3.90.

Saratoga was the site of the sequence's lone stakes, as Volatile went gate-to-wire to defeat a four-horse field in the Grade 1, $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in Race 10. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the 4-year-old son of Violence improved to 3-for-3 in 2020, completing the six-furlong sprint in 1:09.61. Ridden by Ricardo Santana, Jr., Volatile paid $2.80 as the favorite. The $850,000 purchase at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is 5-1-0 in six starts has won four straight.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, on ADW platforms, and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

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Maximum Security Exits San Diego in Good Order; Pacific Classic or Woodward Next

Champion Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) was “good” Sunday morning following an all-out effort for a nose victory in Saturday’s GII San Diego H. at Del Mar, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told the Del Mar notes team.

“I actually thought he was pretty good right after the race being that I only had him about 80%,” Baffert said. “I didn’t think he’d have to do a stop-and-go movement [during the race] but he showed what a great horse he is.”

Making his first start for Baffert, first in five months, and under new jockey Abel Cedillo, Maximum Security vied with Midcourt (Midnight Lute) for the lead through the first quarter in :23.74, dropped back to third, 2 1/2 lengths behind Midcourt at the half-mile mark, rallied to draw even with an eighth of a mile to go and prevailed by a nose at the end of the 1 1/16-mile race.

“It’s a good starting point, we learned a lot about the horse, now we’re caught up and he’s ready to go,” Baffert said.

Either the GI TVG Pacific Classic Aug. 22 at Del Mar or the GI Woodward S. Sept. 5 at Saratoga is next for the 4-year-old, Baffert added, with the former a more likely proposition.

“The Pacific Classic or the Woodward, depending … but I like the Pacific Classic,” Baffert said. “He brings his racetrack with him. He’s got a lot of will to win, he’s courageous and a smart horse. There’s just something about him, he’s got a lot of will to win. He’s got a lot of W’s by his name and there’s a reason for that.”

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Super Saver Colt Stays Two Turns; Earns Rising Stardom at Saratoga

Wertheimer and Frere homebred Happy Saver (Super Saver) made good on a flashy debut last month and handled nine panels at Saratoga like he was just getting going to garner the ‘TDN Rising Star’ moniker Sunday afternoon. The Todd Pletcher pupil aired by 5 1/2 lengths at first asking going seven furlongs at Belmont June 20, and was even-money against a solid-looking group of winners this time around. He broke alertly, but was out-footed into the first turn and took up a ground-saving spot in third. Ridden along to avoid getting shuffled back into the second bend after a :48.25 half, he looked briefly like he might be coming up empty as Irad Ortiz, Jr. was all over him to get going as noses pointed for home. Happy Saver tipped out wide while figuring out his leads, soon found another gear kicked on with a flourish to inhale Beau Luminarie (I Want Revenge) and canter away a geared-down four-length winner in 1:49.93.

“He’s been training great–he’s [GI Belmont S. runner-up and GI Haskell S. third] Dr Post (Quality Road)’s workmate and they’ve been working head and head, so we had confidence that his first out [effort] was legitimate,” Pletcher told Acacia Courtney on the Saratoga Live broadcast. “You’re always a little concerned when you’re stretching out off of one race to a mile and an eighth, but he’d trained really well and he’s got a great personality–he’s very relaxed. I got a little worried around the first turn, it got a little crowded and we weren’t exactly where we thought we’d be, but he seemed settled and I was really impressed with his last eighth of a mile.”

While Pletcher acknowledged that the GI Runhappy Travers S. in two weeks would likely come up too quickly, he mentioned the GII Jim Dandy S. Sept. 5 as a possible next spot for Happy Saver.

The winner’s dam Happy Week (Distorted Humor) was a MSP sprinter for these connections and was disqualified from a third-place run in the 2011 GII Shuvee H. over a one-turn mile. She produced a Candy Ride (Arg) filly in 2019 and sold for $30,000 to John Ropes at last year’s Keeneland November sale carrying a full-sister to Happy Saver. Happy Saver’s third dam is Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), best known as the dam of A.P. Indy.

8th-Saratoga, $74,000, Alw, 7-26, (NW1$X), 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:49.93, ft.
HAPPY SAVER, c, 3, Super Saver
                1st Dam: Happy Week (MSP, $228,674),
                                by Distorted Humor
                2nd Dam: Lassie’s Legacy, by Deputy Minister
                3rd Dam: Weekend Surprise, by Secretariat
Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $75,900. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Wertheimer and Frere; B-Wertheimer Et Frere (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.

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Improbable Heading East For Whitney; Baffert Considers Options For McKinzie, Maximum Security

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will look to win the Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney for the second straight year with different horses, as two-time Grade 1-winner Improbable will ship from California for the historic race for 4-year-olds and up this Saturday, Aug. 1, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club International, Improbable captured the Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on June 6, netting a career-best 105 Beyer Speed Figure. Baffert, who won his first career Whitney last year with McKinzie, saw Improbable work seven furlongs in 1:25.80 over Del Mar's main track on Saturday.

Baffert said Improbable was originally a possibility for the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on August 22 at Del Mar, but plans changed after Maximum Security's victory in Saturday's Grade 2 San Diego Handicap to mark his successful return from a five-month respite.

“He's coming,” Baffert said with a laugh from his California base on Sunday morning. “We were going to run him here in the Pacific Classic, but we wanted to see what Max was going to do yesterday. I think if Max laid an egg, we would have done that. But Max showed us the horse we all thought he was.”

Improbable started his career with three consecutive wins, including the Street Sense at Churchill Downs after breaking his maiden in September 2018. He capped his juvenile campaign with a five-length win in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity in December of that year, propelling him to the Triple Crown trail in 2019 which started with back-to-back runner-ups in the Grade 2 Rebel and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.

After being placed fourth in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby and running sixth in the Grade 1 Preakness, the City Zip colt won the Shared Belief in August at Del Mar before running fourth in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby in September and fifth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November.

After an extensive sophomore campaign, Baffert did not bring Improbable back until April, with a second in the Oaklawn Mile before a 3 1/4-length score in the Gold Cup last month. Baffert said his charge is now ready to get back on the road.

“The only problem with shipping him is that he has issues in the starting gate, for some reason,” Baffert said. “He doesn't have [those issues] in California. But he's doing really well.”

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who rode him in last year's Kentucky Derby, is expected to have the return call in the Whitney, Baffert said.

McKinzie, who defeated a seven-horse field to win last year's Whitney while earning a 111 Beyer, will not bid for a repeat. But Baffert said a return engagement at the Spa is still a possibility with the Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/4 miles on September 5 an option.

Maximum Security, who last year won the Grade 1 Haskell, at Monmouth Park, the Grade 3 Bold Ruler at Belmont Park and the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct Racetrack en route to an Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old, could also run in the Woodward. A son of New Year's Day, Maximum Security has nine wins in 11 career starts, including six grade or group victories.

“I might run McKinzie in the [Grade 1] Bing Crosby here going six furlongs [August 1 at Del Mar] this weekend, or the Woodward. I'm not sure yet,” Baffert said. “It's either McKinzie at the Woodward or Max at the Woodward. It depends. You never know. We're keeping all our options open. We'll nominate him [Maximum Security] everywhere.”

Baffert will be well represented at another prestigious Saratoga race, with Uncle Chuck targeting the Grade 1, $1-million Runhappy Travers on August 8. A son of Uncle Mo, the lightly raced Uncle Chuck will enter the “Mid-Summer Derby” 2-for-2 in his career, winning his debut by seven lengths on June 12 at Santa Anita before dominating a higher caliber field by four lengths in the Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby on July 4.

Owned by Karl Watson, Michael Pegram and Paul Weitman, Uncle Chuck was a $250,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland Association September Sale. He will now enter his first Grade 1 appearance against a field expected to include Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner Tiz the Law.

“He looks good. I mean, he's training right along and maturing,” said Baffert. “We know that Tiz the Law is just a tremendous racehorse, so we're looking forward to the matchup. I just like the way he's training.”

Uncle Chuck breezed six furlongs in 1:12.20 Sunday at Del Mar.

Baffert also said Eight Rings, who won the Grade 1 American Pharoah at 1 1/16 miles in September, is likely for the Grade 1, $300,000 Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy. The sophomore Empire Maker colt ended his 2019 running sixth in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile and ended a five-month layoff by running seventh in the Bachelor on April 25 at Oaklawn.

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