Friday's Best Bet: Dolce Zel is unyielding in Lake George
Friday's ninth race from Saratoga is the Grade 3 Lake George Stakes for 3-year-old fillies traveling one mile on the inner turf course. Post time is 5:39 p.m. EDT.
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No. 5 Dolce Zel (3-1) stalked the pace and won her stateside bow in a slow early/fast late edition of the Florida Oaks (G3) March 12, and was second best in the Appalachian (G2) at this distance April 9. She had an uncomfortable trip in a better than appears show finish in the Edgewood (G2) May 6, and that Churchill Downs course was hard to handle for many runners. She does some of her best work after a layoff and might sit the right stalking trip for the productive Ortiz Jr./Brown team.
No. 4 Koala Princess (9-2) was impressive in her first two turf sprint wins last year, and she split a 14-horse field as the beaten favorite in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) when last seen in the fall. This is her first start in more than eight months for quality layoff trainer Arnaud Delacour, and she drilled a half-mile gate bullet for this at Fair Hill July 14.
No. 6 Eminent Victor (5-2) moved to the Chad Brown barn after her winning all-weather sprint bow last summer. She was along for the show in the Natalma (G1) in her final juvenile outing, and got plenty of pace help in a compact field in her winning Wild Applause return June 25. She should be heard from late under Flavien Prat, but this race might not set up for her.
No. 3 A Qahira (12-1) ran well in all three turf routes in the special weight ranks. The recent maiden winner should attend the pace under Jose Ortiz.
Get my expert Del Mar full card picks for June 22 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 5 to win
Trifecta Key 5/3-4-6
Trifecta 4-5-6/4-5-6/3
Recent best-bet winners
July 1 - Net a Bear ($6.20), trifecta ($87.80)
July 2 - Crystal Cliffs ($4.20) - dead heat
July 3 - Chasing Artie/The Virginian exacta ($29.00)
July 6 - First I've Seen/Hannah's Haven exacta ($17.40)
July 9 - Butterbean/Falconet exacta ($22.00), trifecta ($74.20)
July 11 - Mo Clare's ($6.80)
July 16 - Beren/Wondrwherecraigis/Pickin' Time trifecta ($146.00)
July 21 - Practice Squad ($12.60), exacta ($26.20), trifecta ($31.40)