July 19, 2024
Jeff Siegel’s What You Need to Know
Saratoga
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Saratoga 1st Race – Post: 1:10 ET. Degree of confidence: A-
Top Selection: 1-Governor Sam.
Other Contenders: none.
Forecast: Governor Sam was thought well enough by his connections to make his debut in the Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes at Gulfstream Park in mid-May and flashed excellent speed to battle the eventual winner Gabaldon until deep stretch before weakening in the closing strides to wind up sixth, beaten three lengths. He returns facing straight maidens and based on excellent grass drills since arriving at Saratoga the expensive ($275,000) son of Improbable seems ready to earn his diploma in a race in which the newcomers don’t impress. Simply stated, we fully expect the G. Weaver-trained colt to pop the gate and wire the field as a logical rolling exotic single.
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Saratoga 9th Race – Post: 5:45 ET. Degree of confidence: A-
Top Selection: 5-Child of the Moon (Fr).
Other Contenders: 10-Root Cause.
Forecast: Making her U.S. debut in her first outing in more than a year, Child of the Moon (Fr) has been impressive in her local breezes for C. Brown and this first time Lasix user should be set to pick up where she left off after displaying promising form in France. When last seen in June of ’23 she easily dispatched 16 rivals by seven lengths in a maiden race that earned a career top Timeform rating, one that if repeated makes her good enough to score against this moderate band of entry level allowance foes. The daughter of The Grey Gatsby has good tactical speed, so we’re hoping to see her settle somewhere in mid-pack before kicking home when given her clue. She is listed at 4-1 on the morning line and offers an excellent gamble at or near that price. Root Cause, away since last October, is the “other” C. Brown entrant, has solid credentials in her own right, and is worth using somewhere on your ticket. She’s a bit of a grinder but did finish a close second in the Virginia Oaks two races back with a speed figure that charts well with this group.
