Saratoga - Paddy's Picks

Saturday Spotlight: 2022 Travers Stakes Analysis

The Travers Stakes always comes up at an awkward point in the Paddy’s Picks calendar. With a full slate of work due at Fordham in recent years and now at Columbia, publishing consistent analysis in late August is always a difficult task. There are few races in the United States that would necessitate dropping everything for a Saturday, but Saratoga provides.

This year’s running of the Midsummer Derby is wide open, with at least six of the eight runners qualifying as legitimate contenders. The top three finishers in the Kentucky Derby, as well as the Preakness and Haskell winners, are all making an appearance in a race that typically concludes the three-year-old season with the Breeders’ Cup looming. read more

Race of the Day: Galway Stakes, August 11, 2022

Today’s Race of the Day is the Galway Stakes at Saratoga, surprising no one even slightly familiar with this website. Not only is it a turf sprint stakes race, but it’s also a race I’ll have the opportunity to see in person, as my family and I are taking our annual trip upstate this week.

Not only is today the second day of the Moquin family’s Saratoga trip, but it also happens to be my father’s birthday! Instead of giving him a tangible gift (a hit-and-miss proposition for a guy who usually just wants new shirts or socks or a pair of slippers), we’ve decided to spend his day at one of his favorite venues. The fact that I happen to benefit from this arrangement is purely coincidental and none of your business. Happy Birthday Dad! read more

Saratoga Analysis: Saturday, August 6, 2022

It’s Whitney Day at Saratoga, and that deserves some special treatment. As one of the most stacked cards on the calendar during the most important meet in American horse racing, there are few better days for racing fans to enjoy.

Beyond the G1 Whitney, a race featuring superstars Life Is Good, Olympiad and Hot Rod Charlie, Saratoga is also hosting the G1 Saratoga Derby Invitational, G1 Test, G2 Glen Falls and the Lure Stakes. Many of these races will have implications in the Breeders’ Cup, featuring early showdowns between the best runners in the country and a few from elsewhere. read more

Race of the Day: Hall of Fame Stakes, August 5, 2022

The Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga is always a fun event overshadowed by bigger races on the schedule. Well, I have a series for that, basically a spotlight that forces you all to read, and damn it if I’m not going to use it.

As a one-mile turf race for three-year-olds, the Hall of Fame is the sort of race that lands firmly in my wheelhouse. The problem: every horse in the race has a chance. This isn’t an exaggeration; of the nine horses in the race, there are nine separate cases one could make for a victory. Unlike the Alydar yesterday, which was more or less straightforward, Paddy’s Picks is unable to provide definitive analysis here. Consider it more of a second opinion. read more

Race of the Day: Alydar Stakes, August 4, 2022

The Alydar Stakes may not offer a large field this year, but the restricted stakes at Saratoga features plenty of recognizable faces looking to kickstart their 2022 seasons. It also feels a little like deja vu, if I can explain.

Last week, I noticed that the Curlin Stakes seemed to accommodate three-year-olds that weren’t quite good enough to compete in the G2 Jim Dandy. It seems that the Alydar serves the same purpose for older horses who aren’t quite good enough to win the G1 Whitney on Saturday. read more

Race of the Day: Amsterdam Stakes, July 31, 2022

The Amsterdam Stakes is typically one of Saratoga’s hidden gems in a meet full of phenomenal racing. In the last three years, Shancelot, Yaupon and Jackie’s Warrior have won the event and went on to become top-level sprinters. There may not be any world beaters in this year’s field, but there’s plenty on display to make it interesting.

The 2022 Amsterdam field features a lot of interesting handicapping angles and some decent prices on competitive runners. Many of the favorites are coming off of layoffs and the long shots aren’t out of it on paper, while one precocious gelding may end up being more dangerous than all of them. It may be the sort of race that’s a little too complex to consistently make money on, but it has more than enough to qualify as Sunday’s Race of the Day. Let’s take a look. read more

Race of the Day: Jim Dandy Stakes, July 30, 2022

It feels irresponsible to consider the Jim Dandy Stakes anything other than a premier horse race worthy of fans’ attention. The argument can be made that short fields are ruining horse racing and that the Race of the Day today is an uninteresting one, but I consider those arguments blasphemous.

Regarding complaints of a small field, I disagree with the notion that there aren’t enough horses to go around. That’s true at some tracks, but it’s an absurd thing to say about Saratoga. Yesterday’s Curlin Stakes featured a full field of nine three-year-olds at the same distance, including two Triple Crown runners and many more contenders. The problem isn’t a lack of competition; no one wants to run into a buzzsaw until they have to. read more

Race of the Day: Curlin Stakes, July 29, 2022

Today’s Race of the Day is the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, a restricted race for three-year-olds without a graded stakes win. It’s reminiscent of my Derby prep analyses from earlier this year and features some familiar faces, mostly Triple Crown rejects and runners looking to take a step forward this summer. It’s an exciting mix of talented horses and there are multiple angles worth examining closely.

Before we take a look, I feel the need to make a halfhearted apology. After rushing to publish yesterday’s Race of the Day on a tight schedule, I checked in later on to discover that all my work was in vain, as a sudden rainstorm in upstate New York took the event off the turf. I would fully apologize to my readers for giving them meaningless analysis, but I also feel compelled to hold my head high, as my top selection was apparently ready to go on both surfaces and won at 5-2. You’re welcome? Let’s try to make it two in a row in the Curlin. read more

Race of the Day: Saratoga Optional Claiming, July 28, 2022

A job that I prepared to take on last night was delayed after I crashed, but the Race of the Day for July 28 is finally here! The choices today were a little sparse, as the only stakes race at Saratoga today is the Birdstone, a marathon on dirt dominated by Fearless and Lone Rock. Rather than state the obvious, I decided to look further down the card, and I’ve landed on a race I like.

This allowance optional claiming field is essentially in the same division as many of the runners who competed in the Colonial Cup, yesterday’s Race of the Day. I promise to branch out soon, but these turf races are very enjoyable to handicap and they’re sure to come up again. I hope readers are with me. read more

Saratoga Analysis: Thursday, July 22, 2021

It turns out that returning to Saratoga after last weekend’s deflating events at Monmouth was well worth it. The decision has lifted my spirits considerably, and it would be foolish of me not to return with analysis for another day at the Spa. Unfortunately, my Wednesday evenings are not as free as my Tuesdays this summer, so I regret to inform readers that the written portion of Paddy’s Picks will be delayed or omitted in sections today.

The picks are available for each race and are listed below, but I simply didn’t have time to write out my explanations. I’ll try to do so today, so make sure to come back throughout the day for updates, but I wanted to get selections out to readers promptly since they were available. Let’s take a look at the card: read more