Every Saturday during the Saratoga meet is a big day for horseplayers. This Saturday, August 1, is no exception. Horse betting players get the chance to wager on a couple of Grade 1 races as well as the Grade 2 Bowling Green. Check out top plays and Horse Racing Odds from Saratoga Racecourse for Saturday, August 1. You can also visit our Online Racebook to place your bets on active racetracks.
Saratoga Racecourse Horse Racing Picks
- When: Saturday, August 1 at 1:15 pm ET
- Where: Saratoga Springs, New York
- Weather: Partly Cloudy
Saratoga Racecourse Picks for Saturday, August 1
Race 9 – 5:42 pm ET – 1 1/8 Miles Dirt – $750,000 Grade 1 Whitney
Favorite Tom’s d’Etat could be vulnerable in this spot. The Albert Stall trained runner blew away his competition to win the Grade 1 Stephen Foster in his last, but d’Etat ran a lifetime best. He could bounce.
That means we should look for a horse with a shot to upset the 6/5 chalk. That horse is Code of Honor. The Claude McGaughey runner won the Travers Stakes over this dirt as a three-year-old. He finished third in the Grade 1 Metropolitan in his last. No horse was going to beat Vekoma in that race. If Honor gets the right setup, he could win the Whitney.
Improbable is another 5/2 morning line shot that could take top honors. The Bob Baffert trained runner put everything together in his Gold Cup victory at Santa Anita back on June 6. It took Improbable a long time to figure things out. Now that he has, he can take another Grade 1.
Tom’s d’Etat should finish no worse than third. Stall has campaigned this one beautifully, which is why Tom has 11 wins from 18 races. Much respect to the chalk. If for some reason his odds drift to 8/5, consider him for the top spot.
- Win: Code of Honor
- Place: Improbable
- Show: Tom’s d’Etat
Race 10 – 6:18 pm ET – 7 Furlongs Dirt– $300,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens
After carving out a 46 flat half and 6 furlongs in 1:09.4, we can understand why Tap It To Win faded to finish fifth in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in his last. On Saturday, the Mark Casse trained runner cuts back in distance and gets a nice, cozy, outside draw.
9/5 on the morning line No Parole should be tough to beat. The Violence sired runner trained by Tom Amoss won the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Belmont by 3 ¾ lengths in his last. If jockey Luis Saez can get him to the lead, Parole may not look back.
Baffert trained Eight Rings failed in a non-graded stakes at Oaklawn Park going 6 furlongs in his last. Maybe, Eight Rings gives up once things get hard. Or, maybe, the horse required a couple of bad races to get it together. Who knows? In any case, because it’s Baffert, Rings is tough to leave out of the trifecta.
- Win: Tap It To Win
- Place: No Parole
- Show: Eight Rings
Race 11 – 6:50 pm ET – 1 3/8 Miles Turf – $250,000 Grade 2 Bowling Green
Trainer Mike Maker is killing it at The Spa. He’s got 6 wins and 3 seconds from 21 races. That’s why we’re comfortable backing Marzo at 8/1 to get the job done on Saturday. Marzo doesn’t even take a step up in class as the 5-year-old Medaglia d’Oro gelding has raced in graded races since last October. We just hope the Maker runner keeps the juicy morning line odds.
Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law’s trainer, can pull off the big upset with Highland Sky. The 15/1 on the morning line runner should get a nice setup. Also, Sky has a win at this tricky distance.
Todd Pletcher puts the saddle on 12/1 on the morning line Pillar Mountain. The 5-year-old horse could produce a top effort. The last time John Velazquez was on his back, Pillar ran well enough to finish fifth in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational.
- Win: Marzo
- Place: Highland Sky
- Show: Pillar Mountain
