Saratoga Race Opening Day 2015: Time, Contenders, Post Positions, Odds, Schedule

The 147th Saratoga Race Meeting begins on Friday and runs all the way through Sept. 7. With so many horse races to be had between now and then, fans will have plenty of time to catch quality showcases at the historic venue.

What will make Friday's atmosphere unique in Saratoga Springs, New York, is the Opening Day Celebration. The excitement of a new season can't be replicated and is always worth tuning in for. Ten races on the schedule promise to pack Friday with adequate action.   

Check out the full Saratoga Opening Day race schedule below along with predictions as to how the graded stakes races will unfold. Visit NYRA.com for complete post positions, odds and entries.

Race	Post Time (ET)	Distance	Morning-Line Favorite
Allowance Optional Claiming $40,000	1 p.m.	1 1/8 miles (dirt)	Beyond Empire (5-2)
Maiden Special Weight	1:33 p.m.	5 1/2 furlongs (dirt)	Lemon Liqueur (5-2)
Allowance Claiming $40,000	2:06 p.m.	1 1/16 miles (inner turf)	Dacoma (5-2)
Schuylerville Stakes	2:39 p.m.	6 furlongs (dirt)	Positively Royal (2-1)
Claiming $35,000	3:13 p.m.	1 mile (inner turf)	Jules N Rome (5-2)
Maiden Special Weight	3:47 p.m.	5 1/2 furlongs (dirt)	Anna House (2-1)
Allowance	4:21 p.m.	1 3/16 miles (turf)	Dating Lady Luck (2-1)
Allowance Optional Claiming $62,500	4:55 p.m.	6 furlongs (dirt)	Juba (5-2)
Lake George Stakes	5:29 p.m.	1 1/16 miles (turf)	Mississippi Delta (4-1)
Claiming $16,000	6:03 p.m.	7 furlongs (dirt)	Who's Z Daddy (3-1)

Predicting Winners for Stakes Races

Schuylerville Stakes (Grade 3): Positively Royal (2-1)

Hans Pennink/Associated Press

The race favorite last started at Belmont Park on June 18, where jockey Javier Castellano rode to a 3 ½-length triumph in the Maiden Special Weight over the course of five furlongs.

Needing to go just one more furlong on a dirt track on Friday, Positively Royal has recently proved capable of getting the job done. She was patient in making her move from third place to well out in front toward the end.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, a five-time winner of the Schuylerville Stakes, knows what it takes to mentor a victorious horse and spoke about his No. 1 favorite ahead of Friday's race, per NYRA Press Office:

"

She's a very professional filly. She trained at my dad's all winter and trained very well. She was one of the first ones to come in. She ran to expectations first time out and has trained accordingly since then. We've been fortunate over the years to have some nice fillies in here, and I think she is of that same caliber.

"

Tim Wilkin of the Albany Times Union noted how much of an emphasis the trainer places on his two-year-old fillies:

Moment Is Right should give Positively Royal a strong run for the top prize. The filly is fresh off a win at Belmont Park on June 4 in the Astoria Stakes, where she traveled an extra half-furlong more than Positively Royal did in her latest victory.

Castellano is in the irons for Positively Royal once again and will start from the No. 6 post in the eight-horse field. Jockey Joel Rosario will ride Moment Is Right from the seventh post, so the two top contenders ought to be neck-and-neck coming down to the finish line.

Positively Royal gets the slight edge for her aforementioned finishing ability, whereas Moment Is Right was nearly caught by Decked Out on the final straightaway at the Astoria Stakes.

Lake George Stakes (Grade 2): Feathered (9-2)

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

A little bit more difficult to call is Friday's penultimate race involving three-year-old fillies, which features 12 horses to the Schuylerville's eight and a stronger field overall.

Culprit has a strong pedigree featuring A.P. Indy as a sibling. A.P. Indy was sired by Seattle Slew and has Secretariat as a damsire—not a bad heritage containing two Triple Crown winners. It's no wonder Culprit is a 7-2 bet on the morning line.

Without a race win since 2013, though, it's hard to endorse Culprit as the horse to beat. Celestine is a decent value wager at 8-1 but in a field of 12 isn't good enough to overcome being pinned closest to the rail.

The suitable combination of talent, post position and connections should lead to another Pletcher horse beating out the rest of the field. Feathered is a pupil of Pletcher's whom Luis Saez will mount, and she'll start from the 10th post.

In the Grade 1 American Oaks on May 30 at Santa Anita Park, Feathered finished second on a lengthy 1 ¼-mile jaunt. It was a stellar performance to back up her wire-to-wire victory in the Grade 3 Edgewood Stakes earlier in the month at Churchill Downs.

Feathered showed more than enough stamina in the American Oaks to prove she can deal with what's ahead in Spa City. Trusting Pletcher as a trainer is wise, and it's rather safe to presume he'll have Feathered ready after a long break between races.

A good ride from Saez ought to result in Feathered racing to the winner's circle at Saratoga.

Note: Stats and pedigree information courtesy of HorseRacingNation.com.