Breeders' Cup Contenders Battle at Saratoga Saturday

There are just three days left in the Saratoga meeting and two months until the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita. It is time to get serious, and we will see some major Breeders’ Cup contenders in action at Saratoga on Saturday including the two-time reigning Horse of the Year. 

There are four graded stakes on Saturday’s 12-race card at the Spa including the Grade 1, $500,000 Forego, which is a Breeders’ Cup "Win and You’re In" race. The winner of the Forego stamps an all-expenses paid trip to Santa Anita for the Grade 1, $1.5 million Breeders’ Cup Xpressbet Sprint.

The Grade 1, $600,000 Woodward is a key race for the Grade 1, $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be contested on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. Moreno is the 2-1 morning line favorite and already has his reservations set for the Classic by winning the Grade 1 Whitney, which is a “Win and You’re In” race.

Four Woodward winners have gone on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the last being Saint Liam in 2005. Last year’s Woodward winner Alpha elected to go to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile where he checked in eighth.

The Grade 2, $300,000 Prioress attracted a field of eight three-year-old fillies led by Miss Behaviour, who ran second in the Grade 1 Test in her last outing. Four foes she faces are also exiting the Test.

Look for the winner of the Prioress to be a major player in the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

The stakes action on Saturday kicks off with the Grade 2, $250,000 Bernard Baruch Handicap, which features the return of two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan.

The Forego and Woodward will be televised live on the NBC Sports Network. The one-hour telecast gets underway at 6 p.m. ET.

Let’s take a look at the stakes action.

Dan the Man Returns

Two-time reigning Horse of the Year Wise Dan has been on the sidelines for four months after having emergency colic surgery, but he is working as if he is back and ready to go. The gelding is the 3-5 morning line favorite in the Bernard Baruch.

His trainer, Charles LoPresti, would like to get him to the Breeders’ Cup again where he will attempt to win the Mile for the third year in a row.

"He's gotten back to where he was; he's dragging his rider around there," LoPresti said (via Phil Janack of the NYRA). "His works have been really good, and they've been basically not even asking him to do that. He's just been doing it in hand.

If there is an upset in the making, it could come from the Godolphin entry of Bio Pro and Boisterous.

Selections: Wise Dan—Bio Pro—Boisterous—Five Iron

Princess Violet Can Put Bankroll in Black

The Michael Hushion-trained Princess Violet had the misfortune of running into the talented Untapable last out in the Grade 1 Mother Goose where she checked in second, beaten 9 1/4 lengths. The filly cuts back to six furlongs and does not face any foes as formidable as the filly that beat her last time out.

She won her two previous starts sprinting, although they came against easier competition in the New York-bred ranks. It is an evenly matched group of eight fillies, and she may end up offering some bang for the buck if she goes off near her 5-1 morning line.

Miss Behaviour was a good second in the Test, finishing ahead of four foes she faces again. She is perfect in her three starts at six furlongs and is a logical contender at a shorter price.

Selections: Princess Violet—Miss Behaviour—Southern Honey

Clearly the Chalk in the Forego

Clearly Now is the 7-5 morning line favorite for the Forego, and the colt is going to be tough to beat. He is coming off a sharp win in the Grade 3 Belmont Sprint, going seven furlongs, and has now landed in the money in 13 of his 15 career starts.

If there is going to be an upset, it could come from Weekend Hideaway, who is coming off a sharp win against New York breds in the John Morrissey over at the Saratoga main track.

Palace looks like a good fit coming off his win in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt but may end up scratching to wait for the Grade 1 Vosburgh on Sept. 27.

Selections: Clearly Now—Weekend Hideaway—Palace—Capo Bastone

Who Gets Lucky in the Woodward?

Moreno is the one to beat in the Woodward coming off his gate-to-wire win in the Whitney, and he could prove tough to catch again if he shakes loose like he did in his last outing. The colt is currently listed at 14-1 in Breeders’ Cup Classic Future betting, according to breederscupodds.net.

However, the connections of the other horses in the race all know how dangerous the gelding will be if he gets an easy lead. If he has to work harder early to stay in front, that could set things up for somebody to pass him inside the final furlong.

Who could be so lucky? Itsmyluckyday ran a good second in the Whitney, beaten by 1 1/4 lengths. His trainer, Edward Plesa, will add blinkers for the Woodward, and I do not think jockey Paco Lopez is going to let Moreno get away with soft early fractions.

For a price, the entry of Long River and Romansh both have back-speed figures that are good enough to be in the mix with their best, and they likely will get overlooked in the betting.

Selections: Itsmyluckyday—Long River—Romansh—Moreno

Morning-line odds courtesy of America’s Best Racing.

Follow Michael Dempsey on Twitter @turfnsport