Wednesday's Best Bet: Kirby's Penny, Chalon clash in Honorable Miss

Wednesday’s 9th race from Saratoga (7-25-18) is the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap for fillies and mares dashing six furlongs on the main track. 

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#3 Kirby’s Penny (5-2) owns early/pressing versatility, and she is 2-for-2 at Saratoga. She is fresh and has never been better, and she defeated two next out stakes winners last time, including today’s rival Chalon. She won a local wet track race last summer. 

#2 Chalon (3-1) exits a big stakes win at Monmouth, and runner-up Jessica Krupnick returned to capture the Dashing Beauty Stakes at Delaware July 7. She is fast and sharp, and she likes this distance.

#1 Vertical Oak (8-1) is 3-for-4 over a wet track, including a 5+ length tally in the G2 Prioress at the Spa last summer. 

#6 Finley’sluckycharm (8-5) missed by a neck as the chalk in this event last summer, and that was her only loss in seven starts at this distance. She is 10-for-16 lifetime, and she has captured one of three starts on a wet track (1st in career debut in mud at FG on 12-26-15). She drew well and is clearly capable of winning this, but she has lost 3 of her last 4 (and 4 of her last 6) and won’t offer any value.

#5 Faypien (7-2) chose this spot over the grassy Caress Stakes on July 23. She was 2nd in the G1 Test here last summer. She has never run on a wet track, but she is bred to handle the goo.

#4 Thirteen Songs (30-1) owns the lowest speed figures in this field, and the 3-for-19 filly seems up against it from a class standpoint as well.  

The Plays:

Exacta Box 2-3

Trifecta 2-3-6/2-3-6/1

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