Cover photo by NYRA/Adam Coglianese.

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

Follow along all meet with all the exciting action (and good betting opportunities)!

Check out our other handicapping here!

RACE 1: Seeking the Ante Stakes

1. #1 Bellicose (2-1) – Won by ten lengths in her debut, this filly by Audible should have the most speed here and wins with improvement off her lone start

2. #4 Accelerating (8-5) – This Asmussen trainee by Mitole won comfortably a month ago, but may need the lead from Bellicose to win again here

3. #5 Carmen’s Candy Jar (2-1) – Drops in class into this field and may improve based on that, but needs the top two speeds to go out too fast to have a chance

4. #3 Trail of Gold (12-1) – May be another who could potentially take advantage of a pace duel, clearly showing improvement in her second try earlier this month

RACE 4: West Point Handicap

1. #4 Spirit of St Louis (1-2) – Probably shouldn’t be this short a price, but with five straight wins and the best races in this field, he is the winner with a good effort

2. #3 Itsallcomintogetha (8-1) – May be able to run this race on his terms which is always an advantage, and is a threat if he slows the pace down early

3. #2 City Man (3-1) – Has lost three straight to Spirit of St Louis, but beat him here last year and still has a shot with the right trip from Rosario

4. #1 Dakota Gold (6-1) – Dylan Davis has been on a tear recently, and even if this gelding hasn’t been winning, a good finish is likely especially if the pace doesn’t hold

1. #6 Doc Sullivan (8-5) – Did more of the dirty work last time against Pandagate, and has shown a bit more speed than his main competition plus is working well

2. #4 Pandagate (4-5) – Wins if going by class, but hasn’t been overly fast in his wins even if he might be a tad better than this group at his best

3. #5 Liberty Central (8-1) – Should adjust well to the distance if he is held off the lead, but may need a bit more pace to run into than is in here

4. #3 B D Saints (15-1) – Hasn’t been as sharp recently, but might improve getting back to dirt and had a good effort in the Sleepy Hollow this fall

RACE 8: Fleet Indian Stakes

1. #8 My Mane Squeeze (8-5) – Hard to ignore the class of this filly, running in four straight graded tries including a win and is the best here with a top effort

2. #9 Caldwell Luvs Gold (6-1) – This Brad Cox trainee sat on a slow pace last time to win, but should return to her mid pack style with a chance for a good finish

3. #4 Dolomite (5-1) – Has won convincingly in her two victories, but stretches out in distance here for Chad Brown and needs to prove she can go this far

4. #2 Landed (5-2) – Has never finished out of the money in five tries, and should be on the lead here with good speed and a win over this track last time

RACE 9: Funny Cide Stakes

1. #7 Under Who’s Radar (3-1) – May have the most impressive race of anyone in this field, although this spot could be difficult with the presence of other speeds here

2. #1 Smilensaycheese (6-1) – Actually ran faster than Mo Plex in the Sanford in his debut, plus was on a sloppy track so has upside over a dry surface

3. #10 Mo Plex (5-2) – Drops from the Grade III Sanford, and has a very strong jockey trainer combo who are seven for ten together this past year

4. #6 Bostontonian (5-1) – This Wesley Ward trainee may take advantage of a quick pace with a stalking trip as Dettori takes the mount for his only one of the day

RACE 10: Yaddo Handicap

1. #4 Whatlovelookslike (7-2) – Comes out of a grade III where she simply went too far in distance, now cutting back to something manageable and should be in a good spot

2. #5 Silver Skillet (8-5) – Purely based on her last two races, this filly will run away with this one, but she needs to break well and may not have the lead

3. #1 Spinning Colors (8-1) – This filly by Hard Spun steps up in class, but has been in top form showing no signs of rust after winning following a long layoff last time

4. #9 Marvelous Maude (8-1) – Rare to get Irad Ortiz and Chad Brown at this price, and even if this mare may be past her prime, a late finish could get her in the money

RACE 11: Mdn 90k

1. #9 In All My Dreams (8-1) – Adds blinkers after falling too far back last time, but she still rallied into fourth and has as much upside as any in here

2. #1 North End Lady (9-2) – Has plenty of experience in maiden company with some near wins, and usually brings her best so should be in the mix late

3. #2 Capital Spending (7-2) – Has shown some progress and appears to be moving forward in her stretch runs, getting a bit more distance to close into here

4. #3 Gallant Greta (6-1) – First time lasix for this Michael Maker trainee who tries turf after a dirt debut, and should trend upwards with the surface and distance change

CHECK OUT THE LATEST OFF TO THE RACES RADIO!