Spa selections 2022: Saratoga picks July 17

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 7 – Alw 95000n1x

1. #9 Russiarussiarussia (7-2) – Will likely be over-bet after Chad Brown’s four win day yesterday, but it would be tough to pass up on this one with others having winning difficulties

2. #5 New Ginya (5-2) – Some solid efforts in three tries, but might be one that needs the right set up and a mid-pack trip to be a winner here

3. #11 Classic Lynne (6-1) – Adds lasix and comes off a long layoff from October, but has a race at this distance that is good enough to beat most of these

4. #1 I’m Fine (8-1) – Doesn’t seem like a winning threat, but one that is routinely finishing in the top four and should be a good play to round out exotics

Race 8 – Grade III Quick Call Stakes

1. #8 Big Invasion (6-5) – Should get the right set up, and this will come down to Rosario timing his move well and not having this one too far back

2. #4 Nobals (9-2) – Has really hit his stride this year, winning all four tries, but may need to contend with more pace pressure and faces his toughest test in a graded stakes

3. #6 One Timer (6-1) – Has flashed some real speed and is a real threat to press Nobals or at least sit off of him for a good trip here

4. #7 Asymmetric (7-2) – Takes blinkers off which should be a good move in this field, as this one looks to close and could be the beneficiary of a hot pace

Race 9 – OC 80000n3x

1. #1 Supremacy (5-1) – We’ll try to take down the favorite in this very tough field where almost anyone can win, but this one could get away with the early lead and cuts back in distance

2. #4 Sound Money (8-5) – Drops from two graded races where he finished a distant second, but hasn’t had a great performance up on a fast pace so could be challenged here

3. #5 Fortin Hill (3-1) – Has been struggling to win and may not be in as good of form as others, but consistently finishes well and can find his way into the money here

4. #2 Night Time (6-1) – Seems to run well at Saratoga and should improve greatly after posing no contest to Jackie’s Warrior last time, plus his best races might be slightly better than others

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