Saratoga 8/30 Pick 3 Plays

Little Pete
Aug 30, 2020
6 min read

Sunday racing at Saratoga and we have ourselves a nice ten race card; which is headlined by the Grade 3 Shuvee in the ninth. We still have to deal with some weather related track conditions and we are off the turf on all races, except for the seventh and tenth which will remain on. We are going to focus on a pair of pick3 plays which can be used to try and take down the Empire PK6. I may dabble if I am feeling it come post time in the fifth. I will be keying in on races 5-7, while Big Pete will be focusing in on races 8-10. Make sure to subscribe to the newsletter to receive new blog post notifications and a weekly blog sent to your email GOOD LUCK.

Little Pete's $1.00 Spot Pick 3:

R5: 5, 13, 15

R6: 5, 6

R7: 1, 2, 4, 6, 12

Cost: $30.00

Big Pete's $1.00 Late Pick 3:

R8: 4, 7, 8

R9: 3, 5, 6

R10: 1, 3, 4, 5, 9

Cost: $45.00

Little Pete's "Play of the Day":

Race 3:

(6) Elusive Site has been training consistently and coming in with a bullet workout. I like the thought of having a little moisture in the ground here to help this filly out even more. I also like that there are some horses in here who will be getting money sent their way. I will hammer this horse with a WPS and a straight exacta.

$5.00 WPS 6 Cost: $15.00

$3.00 Ex 6 w/ 1,4,5 Cost: $9.00

Big Pete's "Play of the Day":

Race 4:

(4) KUMAR dropped to this level last time and ran even the whole way around. Those were slightly better than group so look for Rudy to have him sharp today. He prefers dirt so the switch helps him. Jr ran off with him in Jan to post a big score then. Look for the same aggressive ride today and take them all the way.

$10.00 WPS 4 Cost: $30.00

Little Pete's Spot Pick 3:

Race 5:

We are off the turf in this one and it will be run at 5 1/2 furlongs at dirt. This allowed two Chad Brown horses to drop in to this one and look like a very tough beat. My top selection is going to be the Klaravich Stables horse in the (15) Cease and Desist. These connections alone are scary to go up against and it looks like they have a strong two year old in this one. (13) Split Then Double is a terrific name and has hopefully Irad aboard (if he is confirmed running today after sitting the past two days with a wrist injury). This horse actually out ran her stablemate in the last workout at 4 furlongs and looks to be another strong horse coming in from the Michael Dubb barn; which also has been producing a ton of winners. I am only going to pick one other horse besides those two outside horses and that is the (5) Red Ghost. This horse has been training fast and Wesley Ward has two year olds ready to run first time out. We should anticipate the instructions to be to get this horse to the lead and not look back. She is picking up the current leading rider, Jose Ortiz, and could run away with it if left up front.

$3.00 WPS 15 Cost: $9.00

$3.00 Ex Box 5,13,15 Cost: $18.00

Race 6:

I only landed on two in here, as I am going to try and beat a few of the favorites. (5) Zonic is going to be my top play here to find the early lead or sit right behind it, and then have a convincing stretch drive at this distance which seems to suit him. I also like the switch in surface on (6) Square Shooter in here picking up Luis Saez in this one. We should expect a sharp break from the gate to be in a good position early. This horse has shown speed on grass and I think it will translate well to dirt. I like (2) Summer Bourbon, but going to think he is not in his best form right now as a 7 year old and the early speed could be his downfall. I also do not like (3) O Shea Can U See in this spot and will not be including in my vertical plays. Watch out for a late charging (9) Our Honor who almost got an honorable mention in the PK3 play, but I think will be outraced by the two in here I like.

$3.00 WPS 5 Cost: $9.00

$2.00 Ex 5,6 w/ 2,5,6,9 Cost: $12.00

Race 7:

(12) Blue Atlas looks to be the horse in best form here and is a must play on the ticket, but I think this race will come down to who gets the best trip. This is where we can find our somewhat of a price. (1) Short Pour had an awful start last time out, so throwing that race out which he was beat by a decent amount entered in this race. This horse should be the early speed and I am playing on the ticket because I trust Saez to be able to do it this time out. (2) Barrel of Destiny is coming in from the Mike Maker barn and every time I see a horse he enters on grass it perks my ears up a bit. I am also throwing the last race out and thinking this horse will get back to her winning ways in this one; this horse is dangerous in this spot. (4) Pecatonica was steadied in the stretch against most of this field last time out and Rosario will not let that happen again. This horse is a strong contender in this one. My last play is going to be (6) Good Credence who is kind of the wild card to me switching surface to grass. The more I look at this horse the more I really like her on grass. This horse should be forwardly placed and have enough left over to charge late to take this one.

$3.00 WPS 2 Cost: $9.00

$1.00 Ex 1,2,4 w/ 1,2,4,6,12 Cost: $12.00

Big Pete's Late Pick 3:

Race 8:

The three favorites look strong in this NW1X allowance. (4) GANDY DANCING figures to sit behind the front runners and come with his rally as there should be enough pace for him to target. Castellano let Fort Worth get to cozy up front last time so look for him to pay attention today. (7) THREE JOKERS is the one I will take a shot with. He gets Johnny V and will get first jump on Gandy and will be difficult to pass if he can clear the speeds. Won’t mind any left over moisture. (8) HARRIS BAY is the third runner I’ll use as he may have been a little short coming off the layoff. He wasn’t gaining on Gandy last time as he flattened out through the stretch. He’ll be ready this time as he maintains a steady work tab.

$7.00 WPS 7 Cost: $21.00

$3.00 Ex 4,7 w/ 4,7,8 Cost: $12.00

Race 9:

(3) LETRUSKA was a little over her head last time as she couldn’t run with the Empress early in her last. No G1 runners in this group so look for her to set up camp up front and take them all the way around. Rosario is summoned. (5) GOLDEN AWARD won’t be that far behind and this mare as some races in her pp’s that put her right there at the finish. The 9F fits perfect so if she feels like running today, she will be a handful. (6) NONNA MADELINE won earlier in the meet and didn’t mind the stretch out to this distance. She’ll be coming late so to try to catch the top two.

$7.00 WPS 3 Cost: $21.00

$3.00 Ex 3,5 w/ 3,5,6 Cost: $12.00

Race 10:

We’ll spread out in this MSW finale which stays on the grass. I’ll use (5) SOL DEL SUR on top as this one closed going this distance in her debut and got tired late. Mott most likely tightened him up for this so expect a better run today.(3) MODERN SCIENCE has put together two solid efforts to start his career and this Galileo probably won’t mind the give in the turf. He’ll be tough to beat today. (1) VENERABLE ran into a good one on the dirt, now tries turf. I’ll use underneath. Brown has firster (4) SHIRELLE in here and will also include (9) SAFE CONDUCT on the surface change.