Spa selections 2020: Saratoga picks September 6

Ginger N Rye won the 2017 Smart N Fancy Stakes at Saratoga. Photo by Chelsea Durand/NYRA.

by Joseph Aiello

In Spa Selections, Saratoga on-site correspondent Joseph Aiello provides Saratoga picks for a handful of key races at Saratoga, including all of the exciting stakes action!

Race 9 – Grade I Spinaway Stakes

1. #6 Guana Cay (3-1) – Ran against the boys last time, finishing second to one of Todd Pletcher’s top two year olds, so should see improvement here

2. #5 Beautiful Memories (9-5) – Didn’t break well last time, but can still be a contender with a better start and some early speed

3. #3 Lady Lilly (7-2) – Rosario should get this filly to control the race here, and may have an advantage if Beautiful Memories gets left at the gate again

Race 10 – Grade II Honorable Miss Handicap

1. #7 Lady’s Island (9-2) – Will look to go wire to wire here which may be difficult if pressured by Blamed, but still can’t be ignored since she seemingly always puts in strong efforts

2. #5 Bye Bye J (15-1) – Has been very good at this distance, plus seems to be running her best this year including two stakes wins in three tries

3. #2 Blamed (2-1) – Come Dancing can certainly still win if she improves off a class drop, but she hasn’t been as sharp this year while this mare will like this distance

Race 11 – Lucky Coin Stakes

1. #7 Readyforprimetime (6-1) – Three for three at this distance and has won both tries at Saratoga, plus should be a solid price here

2. #1 Shekky Shebaz (8-5) – The most likely winner based on class, and will at least be in the mix here

3. #5 Fig Jelly (8-1) – Has finished second in nearly half of his career races, and despite a step up here, gets Rosario and has fared well when running in stakes company

Race 12 – Clm 40000n2L

1. #10 Positive Skew (4-1) – After winning an open maiden first time out, this filly has disappointed, but seems ready for a breakthrough effort here with Irad Ortiz Jr.

2. #2 Leeway (9-2) – Drops from an open allowance which should lead to some improvement here, and can win if she controls the race similar to two back

3. #6 Stormy Derby Day (6-1) – A bit of an unknown given that he has never tried the dirt before, so worth a shot at a decent price in an underwhelming field

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