US Racing Preview: So Many Ways at Saratoga

There is some excellent racing in the US on Sunday.

Simon Rowlands looks ahead to Sunday's US action...

The penultimate day's racing at Saratoga on Sunday sees the two-year-olds take centre stage in the G1 Spinaway Stakes for fillies on dirt over seven furlongs, due off at 17:56 locally and 22:56 BST.

It is still early days for the youngsters, but some good efforts have started to be posted in recent weeks, and the Spinaway often identifies one of the divisional leaders. It was won 12 months ago by Grace Hall, subsequently second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and still a major force as a three-year-old.

The likeliest filly to follow in her hoofprints on Timeform ratings is the Anthony Dutrow-trained So Many Ways, who has already reached a level of 108p after wins in a maiden at Parx and the G3 Schuylerville here in July.

The latter race showed that So Many Ways does not need to race up with the pace - indeed, she seemingly couldn't that day - and that she seems highly likely to have the stamina for this additional furlong. Most of her six rivals have shown pace-forcing tendencies in their few runs to date, and the ability to see things out well could be at a premium.

There is every chance that one or more of those rivals will make big strides upped to this grade, but the truth is that they will need to if So Many Ways reproduces her Schuylerville effort. The next two best in on ratings are Teen Pauline on 100p and Baby J (behind So Many Ways last time) on 100, while Todd Pletcher saddles the promising pair Corail (96p) and Dreaming of Julia (92p).

But So Many Ways is not exactly standing still at present, either, and she is taken to do what is required to hold her rivals at bay again.
The Spinaway is preceded by the G3 Saranac Stakes for three-year-olds over nine furlongs on turf (due off at 17:22 local time, 22:22 BST), which looks to provide a good opportunity for Lucky Chappy to get off the mark Stateside.

The ex-Italian has shaped well more than once, never more so than when flying home from towards the rear in the G2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs last time.

Only 120-rated Silver Max was still ahead of him at the line that day, and there is nothing of his calibre against Lucky Chappy on this occasion.

The best of them on Timeform ratings is Excaper - rated 112 - who made the most of a drop in class last time, having become somewhat regressive. It would be disappointing if Lucky Chappy does not have his measure.

The chink in Lucky Chappy's armour, and arguably the reason for more than one of his defeats, is his come-from-behind style. The good news is that there looks to be enough pace on here, courtesy of King Kreesa, Spring To The Sky and Skyring. Lucky Chappy should take some beating.

No prizes are given for figuring that Jenna's Wabbit is the best horse on show in Woodbine's Vice Regent Stakes (due off 16:27 locally, 21:27 BST). He has won six of his nine races in total, including his last three, and can boast a 114 Timeform figure.

However, racing is seldom that simple. Not only does Jenna's Wabbit have to concede 6 lb to all his six rivals - which makes it theoretically quite close with a couple of them - he will have to stretch out to a mile, having gained all his wins at shorter. The one time he tried further than seven furlongs, he ran poorly and finished unplaced.

Jenna's Wabbit will probably win if running to his best, but there's good reason to think that he may not do that, and at his likely odds (he is 6/5 on the Morning Line) that makes him worth opposing.

There was a time when there was just one Derby - at Epsom, over a mile and a half, and on the first Wednesday in June - but they seem to be ten-a-penny now, and Del Mar gets to run its version on Sunday over nine furlongs (post time 18:00, 02:00 on Monday BST).

Howe Great claimed a notable scalp in Dullahan's in a G3 at Gulfstream Park in March but has proved to be a level below the best of the Triple Crown generation since. Nonetheless, that form should be good enough to see him go very close in this grade, and a non-graded win at Monmouth Park last time confirmed that he is still in good heart.

Front-running My Best Brother is better off with Old Time Hockey from last time and may not be easy to pass, but an on-form Howe Great really should take this.

Recommendations:
1 pt win So Many Ways
2 pts win Lucky Chappy
lay to lose 2 pts Jenna's Wabbit
1 pt win Howe Great