By Joe Quillen
Friday 6/7 – Saratoga Race 12 – Acorn Stakes
Happy Friday and happy Belmont Stakes Eve! We are here for day 2 of the Belmont Stakes Festival at Saratoga, and today we will take a look at the finale of a 12-race card. The Acorn is a mile and an eighth race going a mile and one-eighth on the main track, which is one lap around the main track. Post time for the Acorn is 6:40 pm Eastern time.
Before we go through the horses like I normally do, I first want to catch up on some odds and ends. This will be a field of eight fillies unless someone else scratches between when I started to handicap this race and post time. The 1 Becky’s Joker will be scratched. She was cross entered in the Jersey Girl Stakes on Thursday at Saratoga and finished fourth in the race.
From what I can see on the weather app on my phone, there is a 25% chance of rain in the 5 pm hour, but hopefully the rain stays away.
The favorite #9 Thorpedo Anna (8/5 morning line) showed that the off going will not be a problem for her. She kept herself out of trouble in the Kentucky Oaks and won easily. She doesn’t necessarily need the lead, but her versatility makes her dangerous again today.
The 4 Just F Y I (5/2 ML) just couldn’t get to Thorpedo Anna in the Oaks and looks to turn the tables. She wasn’t too far behind the leader in the Oaks. She also has a race over the Saratoga track, winning her debut at the end of August.
The 3 Leslie’s Rose (5/1 ML) might have some excuses for her last race where she finished next to last. She stalked five wide on the first turn, cooking her chances by the time they got to the final turn. She may not have liked the slop on Oaks Day. She may have had a major bounce. There are many excuses that will be legitimate, and that race is a complete toss. if she runs like she did in the Ashland, she will be winning this race.
The 7 Regulatory Risk (12/1 ML) ran well in the Oaks and finished well on the outside to get third in deep stretch. She has done for the lead in the past, but the question is if Thorpedo Anna doesn’t try to duplicate going for the lead here, it’s this filly, and potentially the 8 Gun Song (12/1 ML) who won the Black Eyed Susan at Pimlico but didn’t have as strong of a field as the Kentucky Oaks.
The 6 Where’s My Ring (8/1 ML) showed she could go two turns and also nine furlongs (today’s distance) willing the Gazelle at Aqueduct in April to break her maiden. The question was the race a bounce, She’s run very well this year except for the Oaks, but many fillies in that race will probably be described that way in the near future.
Thorpedo Anna is the horse to beat here, and I will not be surprised if she does win here. But I think that you cannot ignore Leslie’s Rose who threw a major clunker last time out. I’m going to take a flier on Leslie’s Rose here and win this race. I’ll call this 3-9-4-6 and my play is $20 to win on the 3. Good luck everyone!
Check out my show “Also Eligible” on Saturday mornings at 10 am Eastern/7 am Pacific as AJ Johnson and I discuss the big races, the latest news in horse racing and much more! This Saturday, we will discuss the final leg of this year’s Triple Crown as we have our first look at the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga and the return of the unofficial horse of Bleacher Brothers Uncle Ernie who runs in the seventh race at Parx on Saturday afternoon.