Thursday's Best Bet: Curlin Road can go the distance in Birdstone
Thursday's ninth race from Saratoga is the $100,000 Birdstone Stakes for 3-year-olds and up traveling a mile and three-quarters on the main track (Post Time 5:51 p.m. ET).
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#4 CURLIN ROAD (10-1) is interesting at a price for Rudy Rodriguez. He exits a place finish in a $50k claimer, and he has back class. He won the Cougar II (G3) at a mile and a half at Del Mar in 2017. He will probably stalk the pace under Irad Ortiz Jr.
#8 Rocketry (9-5) removes blinkers and will try to get involved late under Joel Rosario. Today’s favorite Marconi finished in front of him in their last four meetings, but they were all shorter events. He might have more stamina than these.
#1 Marconi (8-5) rattled off three straight stakes wins earlier this year including the Brooklyn (G2), but he rode the golden rail to a narrow victory in the latter race. He flopped in the Suburban (G2) July 6, and he might bounce back as the controlling speed from the inside post.
#5 Third Day (8-1) gets tested for stamina, and the lightly raced 5-year-old horse should be close to slow fractions. He owns a promising long distance pedigree and should offer value.
#3 Patch (10-1) finished 3rd in the 2017 Belmont Stakes (G1). He has captured one of eight starts since, and both of his local stakes outings last summer were alright, including a show finish in the Alydar. He needed his flat mile turf return for his new trainer Jack Sisterson.
#2 Royal Albert Hall (15-1) has not done much recently, but he did win the Bernardini Stakes at Aqueduct March 2. He can get a piece of this on his best day.
#6 King Zachary (8-1) has yet to find his best stride since moving to the Graham Motion barn this year. He needs to rediscover his Matt Winn (G3) form as a sophomore.
#7 Turco Bravo (15-1) is a 10-year-old gelding with back class, but I am not sure he can run anymore after his below par effort as the favorite in a local $40k claimer July 28.
Wagers:
#4 to win
Exacta Box 4-8
Trifecta 4-8/1-4-8/1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8
July Best Bet Winners:
July 1 - MR GREY ($4.00), Exacta ($15.20)
July 3 - Lucullan/Noble Indy Exacta ($17.40)
July 11 - LISTING ($4.80), Exacta ($25.75)
July 14 - Break Even/Eyeinthesky/Bohemian Bourbon Trifecta ($16.25)
July 15 - MESS'N AROUND ($7.20)
July 16 - Cuddle Kitten/Mia Bella Rossa/Atina Salsa Trifecta ($18.65)
July 17 - Jasikan/Nolde Exacta ($14.50)
July 18 - CALLE KINGPIN ($10.00), Exacta ($11.70)
July 20 - JUST HOWARD ($5.40)
July 22 - Ceduna/Afterburner Exacta ($73.00)
July 26 - Highest Honors/Endorsed/Looking At Bikinis Trifecta ($49.75)
July 29 - Chic N Wilbur/Less Than Perfect/Beyond Smart/Sea of Erin Superfecta ($50.80)
July 31 - Special Relativity/Saguaro Row Exacta ($8.70)