I pass up a Saratoga carryover about as often as the greyhounds pass up a t-bone steak, but I swear by all that is holy that you won't have to fight me for the $57k in the kitty for Thursday after no one ran the table on Wednesday's card.
We knew going in that it was going to be daunting if it carried Wednesday, due to the once-a-meet inclusion of a steeplechase in the Thursday sequence, but that's not the half of it. Just look at this lineup:
Race 4: Maidens, 2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 furlongs.
Race 5: Maidens, 2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 furlongs. Statebreds.
Race 6: Maidens, 2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 furlongs.
Race 7: $60k 3yo turf claimers.
Race 8: Steeplechase.
Race 9: Maidens, 2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 furlongs. Statebreds. On turf.
Anyone remember a NYRA pick-six sequence with four 2-year-old filly maiden races, or a NYRA card with five (yup, race 2 is also for the young ladies) 2-year-old maiden filly races? Me neither.
As for the rest of Wednesday's highlights:
*Race 2: J Be K.'s track-record debut discussed earlier earned a Beyer of 98, which will put it on the leaderboard as the fourth best figure recorded by a 2-year-old colt in North America so far this year (behind two by Hopeful favorite Ready's Image and one by Gold Coyote.)
Race 6: Todd Pletcher snapped a 1-for-42 streak and got his 11th winner at the meeting when Prom Party, a half-sister to Volponi, ran down favored Going Day to win by a neck. He's now in a three-way tie for second in the trainer standings with Contessa and Dutrow, eight behind Mott.
Race 8: Criminologist, a 4-year-old Janney/Phipps/McGaughey filly by Maria's Mon, got her first stakes victory with an authoritative 3 1/4-length victory over stakes-winners Amansara and Mo Cuishle in the $80k Perfect Sting for older grass fillies. Criminologist shattered Amarettitorun's 1997 course record of 1:46.22, skipping 9 furlongs on the parched inner turf course in 1:45.61. On Saturday, Shakis set a course record for the same distance on the Mellon course when he was timed in 1:45.33.
Race 9: I actually liked Darjeeling (blinkers on, two big works, positive trainer change) in the finale but was far too clever to bet her to win at $33.60, instead using her in pick-fours that died with Amansara and trifectas that excluded the runner-up. Yes, I know: I'm an idiot. But I'm still not playing Thursday's carryover.
