Saratoga Racecourse Picks – Thursday, August 27, 2020

As we’ve come to expect, Saratoga has a featured stakes race for us on Thursday, August 27, 2020, amongst its offering of the maiden, allowance, and claiming matches. Today’s offering is the 5-1/2 furlong Smart N Fancy Stakes with its purse of $85,000.

The forecast for Saratoga Springs, New York Thursday says to expect scattered thunderstorms, temperatures in the low 60s, and light winds around five mph.

Post time for the first race Thursday at Saratoga Racecourse is 1:10 PM (EDT). Let’s move on to my horse racing picks and tips.

There isn’t a jockey in the morning line’s top four picks that isn’t a stone’s throw from Irad Ortiz, Jr.’s enviable wins/WPS record. But he’s still at the top for this race—and so is his mount, the morning line 3/2 favorite, Value Proposition. This four-year-old ridgling moneyed four of his five career starts and won three of them.

At 15/1, I like Ninety One Assault for a show ticket—even in this battle of the jockey all-stars. My reason for that is Junior Alvarado at the helm, which converts this 15/1 probably-not to a probably show.

This is the Smart N Fancy Stakes race for fillies and mares four years old and upward running on turf a distance of 5-1/2 furlongs for a purse of $85,000.

I’m sticking with the morning line on this race, as well, and backing the 3/1 favorite Introduced, ridden by Mannie Franco. This four-year-old filly really stands out in this field, with nine money finishes in 12 career starts, five of those wins.

And for longer odds fun & profit, there’s the 10/1 Saratoga Treasure, with Jose L. Ortiz in the irons. This five-year-old mare moneyed 11 of her 19 career starts, five of them wins.

This is an allowance race for three-year-olds and upward running a distance of 1-1/8 miles for a purse of $74,000.

I hate to look like the morning line’s biggest fan, but I can’t come up with a  good reason for not betting the 7/5 favorite here: Texas Swing, with John R. Velazquez aboard. This three-year-old colt moneyed two of his three career starts, winning one of them. Look for some serious challenges from the Ortiz brothers, who—along with Ricardo Santana, Jr.—occupy the other three top morning line slots.

Sorry, but there are no long odds in this race, and I predict multiple photos at the finish line.

I’ve also picked the richest horse races at some other tracks for Thursday, August 27, 2020, and you can see my results here.