Saratoga Odds & Picks – Jockey Club Gold Cup, Spinaway Stakes, Hopeful Stakes & More

• Closing Weekend at Saratoga features several high-end races
• Should you bet on or against superstars such as War Like Goddess and Olympiad?
• Where is the best wagering value in graded stakes this weekend at The Spa?

While The Travers and Whitney Stakes get a ton of attention, what makes summer at Saratoga so great is the high-end racing day in and day out. The season comes to an end on Labor Day. Before The Spa closes up shop for the year, there are many opportunities to make a score.

There are Grade 1 races this weekend at Saratoga Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Saturday’s card features a pair of Breeders Cup Win and You’re In events. Let’s look carefully at each of the six races, and consider some betting strategies.

Saratoga Picks

Saturday at The Spa has three big-time races. The Grade 3 Saranac Stakes for three-year-olds going a-mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf carries a $200,000 purse. At a mile-and-three-eights on the turf, the Grade 2 $600,000 Flower Bowl Stakes includes a Breeders Cup Filly & Mare Turf berth for the winner.

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The Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at a mile-and-a-quarter on the main track is a $1 million event and the winner earns a spot in the Breeders Cup Classic.

The final two days of racing at Saratoga are a glimpse into the future. Sunday’s card is highlighted by the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes for two-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on the main track. Two-year-old boys go seven furlongs in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes on Monday.

Both races have purses of $300,000, and the winners will be among the early favorites in the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby discussion.

For kickers, Monday also features the Grade 3 $200,000 mile-and-a-sixteenth Bernard Baruch Handicap on the turf.

Saranac Stakes

All eyes will be on Annapolis (-250) in this five-horse field. He has three wins in five tries with two second-place finishes and is the only graded stakes winner in the group.

Annapolis is cutting back after finishing second in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational on August 6.

Celestial City (+300) is a viable alternative to the favorite. He ran a strong third against top horses in Saratoga’s Grade 2 Hall of Fame Stakes on August 5. While he has just a single win in six tries, he is consistently solid, and may be closer to the pace on Saturday with top trainer Shug McGaughey putting blinkers on.

Pick: Annapolis (-250)

Flower Bowl Stakes

War Like Goddess (-250) has won eight of 10 lifetime starts and is three for three at Saratoga. He has made over $1.2 million and faces several of the horses he beat last month again in the Flower Bowl.

War Like Goddess has lost just once in the past year-and-a-half, and it came in the Breeders Cup.

Virginia Joy (+350), who finished third behind War Like Goddess and Temple City Terror (+800) in the Flower Bowl, is the most likely upsetter. This distance is her favorite, as opposed to Temple City Terror who wants longer races like they ran in last time. Virginia Joy gets her preferred pilot in Irad Ortiz, and on paper is the top challenger.

Pick: War Like Goddess (-250)

Jockey Club Gold Cup

Olympiad (+200) saw his five-race winning streak halted when he faced the brilliant Life Is Good last month. Olympiad’s victory at Churchill Downs in July was ultra impressive.

Olympiad held off Americanrevolution (+300) in the Stephen Foster Stakes. Neither has run this far before. Dynamic One (+350) beat Americanrevolution in June and has won back-to-back races, including most recently a Grade 2 event at this distance.

Pick: Olympiad (+200)

Spinaway Stakes

You can make an argument for most of the 10 two-year-old fillies in here. Two of them, Naughty Gal (+800) and Just Cindy (+500) are already graded stakes winners. Wonder Wheel (+300) is the only other entrant with a win against horses that are not maidens.

For Naughty Gal to beat graded stakes horses while blowing the turn is impressive. Her top competitors could be horses who have run just once.

Aunt Shirley (+500) attracts Irad Ortiz, and he seemingly could have ridden several horses in here including Just Cindy, as he did for her victory in the Schuylerville stakes. Aunt Shirley won a quick race in the mud at Ellis Park last month.

Kaling (+350) was really impressive getting out well, allowing the favorite to take the lead, and then rolling by the chalk in her debut at Saratoga in July.

Pick: Kaling (+350)

Bernard Baruch Handicap

There is only one graded stakes winner in this field of six. City Man is not the most consistent horse but should be the favorite after a career-best performance at The Spa in July.

City Man typically comes from off the pace, which could be dangerous on Monday since there is not a ton of early speed signed up.

Winters Back is the logical pacesetter. He hasn’t run in more than a year, but was second in a Grade 2 race last July, and is trained by top conditioner Todd Pletcher.

Mouillage is making his first start since March, only second appearance of his four-year-old campaign, and this is his second try in North America. He ran well in France and finished a strong second to a quality opponent in a Grade 3 race at Gulfstream Park in March.

Dynadrive and Emaraaty are coming off of wins but stepping up in competition.

Pick: Mouillage (TBA)

Hopeful Stakes

Gulfport was arguably the most talked about two-year-old currently racing before getting upset by the very promising Damons Mound at Saratoga last month.

At this early juncture, that may be the best two-year-old race thus far in 2022. Gulfport had romped in his first two tries.

Mo Strike is two-for-two and dominated July’s Sanford Stakes.

Mo Strike beat Forte in that race. Forte was the favorite but finished a well-beaten fourth following a dazzling debut at Belmont Park.

Blazing Sevens is making his second career start after dusting maidens at The Spa in late July.

Pick: Gulfport (TBA)