Saturday's Best Bet: Annapolis steers away in Saratoga Derby
Saturday’s eleventh race from Saratoga is the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby for 3-year-olds traveling 1 3/16 miles on the turf course. Post time is 6:20 p.m. EDT.
Click here for Saratoga entries and results
No. 6 Annapolis (5-2) is 3-for-4 overall with his lone loss a runner-up finish over soft ground in the Penn Mile (G2). He cruised in his local turf route bow last summer and exits a smart win in the Manila Stakes, and was flattered when Ready to Purrform returned to wire the field in the local Hall of Fame (G2) Aug. 5. Irad Ortiz Jr. should have Todd Pletcher’s talented colt in a good tactical spot throughout.
No. 4 Nations Pride (7-2) closed well for the place from an outer post in the Belmont Derby (G1). He reunites with his winning rider William Buick and this might be the right trip for Charles Appleby’s colt.
No. 10 Stone Age (9-2) was rolling late from the outside post and ended up a head behind Nations Pride July 9. John Velazquez takes the call and this is a good distance for Aidan O’Brien’s sophomore colt.
Get my expert Del Mar full card picks for Aug. 6 (available now).
Wagers:
No. 6 to win
Exacta 6/4-10
Exacta 4-10/6
Recent best-bet winners
Friday - Ready to Purrform ($9.80), trifecta ($469.00)