Saturday's Best Bet: Dalika should be finishing fast in Caress

Saturday’s 12th race from Saratoga is the $200,000 Caress Stakes for fillies and mares dashing five and one-half furlongs on the turf course (Post Time 7:22 p.m. ET). 

Click here for Saratoga Entries, Results

#7 DALIKA (3-1) is a solid threat from off the pace in her current form. She turned back and rallied for a strong win at this distance at Churchill May 21, and motored home in a flying runner-up finish as the favorite in the License Fee last time. She drilled a local turf bullet for this July 24 and could easily run past this group if the pace heats up a bit. Give her a firm course and an honest pace and she probably scores.

#9 Carib (9-2) took to turf in her last three, and she looked good beating a next-out winner June 28. Rosario abandons for the favorite, but Irad Ortiz Jr. is an ample sub. A stalking trip is expected.

#2 I’llhandalthecash (4-1) got up on the pace and held off Dalika on a course labeled good in the License Fee July 3. She stalked and scored in an allowance race at this course/distance last summer, and she should get a jump on the closers in her third start after a layoff.

#3 Sweet Bye and Bye (6-1) is an interesting returnee for her new trainer Tony Dutrow. She fired trifecta shots in 7 of 8 turf starts (mostly routes), and ran Oleksandra to a neck in a 6T affair at Belmont May 2019. That turf sprint followed an 8+ month layoff, and today marks her first start in 6+ months.

#4 Introduced (10-1) is a competent turf sprinter exiting back-to-back wins vs. lesser.

Wagers:

#7 to win

Exacta Box 7-9

Trifecta Key 7/2-3-4-9

Trifecta 2-3-4-9/7/2-3-4-9  

July 2020 Best Bet Winners

July 4 - GUFO ($3.20), Trifecta ($34.30)
July 5 - NIGHT OPS ($4.90), Exacta ($18.40)
July 9 - Dos Vinos/Club Car Exacta ($14.80)
July 13 - MONACO PRINCESS ($5.00), Exacta ($16.40)
July 14 - Blue Buff/Deal Driven Exacta ($7.20), Trifecta ($10.00)
July 20 - INTHEMIDSTOFBIZ ($4.00), Exacta ($13.00)
July 21 - Flashndynamite/Slingin Sammy B/Unbridledadventure Trifecta ($4.00)
July 22 - Singular Sensation/Sharp Starr Exacta ($23.40)
July 24 - JO JO AIR ($9.20)
July 27 - HOOTIE ($7.80)
July 28 - GUILLAUME ($6.40), Exacta ($24.00)
July 31 - She's My Type/Miss J McKay Exacta ($41.80)

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