Friday's Best Bet: First to Act strikes early in Summer Colony
Friday’s eighth race from Saratoga is the $135,000 Summer Colony Stakes for fillies and mares traveling 1 1/8 miles on the main track. Post time is 5:05 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Saratoga entries and results.
No. 5 First to Act (6-1) improved her speed ratings in all four starts, and she is 2-for-2 on fast dirt. Irad Ortiz Jr. got to know her in a sharp entry level victory at Belmont Park July 10, and she should appreciate this distance.
No. 1 Army Wife (7-2) is a two-time stakes winner at this distance. She reconnects with her winning pilot Tyler Gaffalione and figures to save ground stalking the pace.
No. 3 Envoutante (3-1) used to be good enough to win a race like this, but she was dull in her Beholder Mile (G1) return and seems to do her best work at Churchill Downs. Both of her wins at this distance were in back-to-back renewals of the Falls City (G2) under the Twin Spires, and that race is probably her target later in the fall. She drilled a training track bullet for this Aug. 14.
No. 7 Bonny South (5-2) should be finishing at a speed friendly distance under Flavien Prat. She landed the place in both local starts and hit the board in all five attempts at this distance. She might take too much win action.
Get my expert Del Mar full card picks for Aug. 19 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 5 to win
Exacta Box 1-5
Trifecta Key 5/1-3-7
Trifecta 1-3-5/1-3-5/7
Recent Best Bet winners
Aug. 5 – Ready to Purrform ($9.80), trifecta ($469.00)
Aug. 6 – Nations Pride/Annapolis exacta ($29.20)
Aug. 7 – With the Moonlight ($4.30), exacta ($7.50)
Aug. 8 – Loyalty ($7.00), exacta ($23.80)
Last Wednesday – Running Bee ($6.70)
Friday – Bankit/Sea Foam/Brooklyn Strong trifecta ($378.00)
Sunday – Slew's Tiz Whiz ($8.80)
Wednesday – Legends Can't Die/Mackillop/Mo Rewards trifecta ($480.48)