Saturday plays: Play this double in Sword Dancer, Travers

With 13 races on the Travers Stakes card at Saratoga on Saturday, horseplayers have plenty of opportunities for multi-race wagers. Most players will want to wait for a good sequence where they feel confident about at least one of the races and it fits the type of multi-race bet they have in mind.

Now to discuss two different daily doubles for the Travers card. One of them is a non-stakes daily double, and the other connects a pair of Grade 1s, the $750,000 Sword Dancer to the $1.25 million Travers Stakes.

Saratoga race 5: Allowance optional claiming

Dynadrive takes a significant class drop after five straight losses in graded-stakes races. The last time this 6-year-old gelding did not compete in a graded stakes, he won the Lure Stakes over this course last summer.

In his two most recent starts, Dynadrive finished fifth in the Fort Marcy Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park and sixth in the Monmouth Stakes (G3), but he did not embarrass himself in either race as he never lost more than five lengths. Dynadrive also useful tactical speed in the Monmouth Cup before fading, and he also improved his position in the Fort Marcy. 

Besides the drop in class, now Dynadrive receives Lasix and the services of Javier Castellano. He is the choice in this modest allowance field.

Win: 1 (at 3-1 or longer)

Double: 1 with 2, 10

Saratoga race 6: 2-year-old maiden special weight

Two fillies making their career debuts in this race look intriguing.

The first one is the Todd Pletcher-trained Cowgirl Charm, who is a daughter of Lookin at Lucky out of a Lion Heart mare named Country Café.

For what it is worth, Country Café is a full sister to the successful sprinter Heart Ashley, who won in her second start and went on to capture sprint races such as the Cicada Stakes (G3) and Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) in 2009.

Based on the two XBTV videos available, Cowgirl Charm gives a good impression in the mornings. She is the top choice in this field of babies.

The second filly to consider using is Here’syourtrouble, who has a nice sprint family right off the bat with her sire Munnings and damsire First Defence. Here’syourtrouble makes her debut in this race for trainer Chad Brown.

Out of the two XBTV videos shown of Here’syourtrouble, the Aug. 20 workout stands out as she easily handles her workmate Right to Vote.

In races with first-time starters, handicappers are forced to guess more than in other races. Nevertheless, the two fillies above are playable.

Saratoga race 11: Sword Dancer (G1)

The favorite Stone Age does not seem intimidating even though he finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last November. He carries an eight-race losing streak into this race and lacks a win on this soil.

One interesting horse to use against Stone Age is Soldier Rising, who found some trouble in the Bowling Green Stakes (G2). The video replay is not available because of the spill that occurred, but the notes in the past performances indicate he bumped very hard at one point and checked.

Solider Rising closed for third in this race last year while only losing by one length to Gufo. If Solder Rising gives the same effort this time against a weaker Sword Dancer field, he will find himself in contention.

Pioneering Spirit also deserves attention. This 4-year-old gelding has turned around his career for trainer Linda Rice after floundering on dirt while just trying to break his maiden for most of his career under Todd Pletcher.

In his most recent win, Pioneering Spirit took a local optional-claiming race on July 27 by 3 3/4 lengths, a dominant margin in turf racing.

The class rise might seem steep, but this is not a hard Grade 1. 

Double: 1, 5 with 2, 6

Saratoga race 12: Travers Stakes (G1)

Arcangelo enters this race with limitless potential after his Belmont Stakes win over Forte in June. He could end up leading this division if he could carry the momentum forward and win his second Grade 1 here. 

On paper, no reason exists for Arcangelo not to win again. Even though Arcangelo loved the marathon distance, he has shown good form at shorter distances. Arcangelo broke his maiden in a one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park and then won the nine-furlong Peter Pan Stakes (G3).

While Forte is the deserving favorite, he will start this race at extremely short odds and Arcangelo just needs another good trip to beat him again.

For a longshot, also consider Disarm, a runner who tends to excel in longer route races. For example, Disarm steadily closed for fourth in the Kentucky Derby after settling in ninth early on. He only lost by 4 1/4 lengths to Mage.

After that good effort, Disarm won the nine-furlong Matt Winn Stakes (G3) over Verifying before finishing a mild fourth in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) won by Forte. Disarm could not close the deal in the Jim Dandy, but the longer distance in the Travers might help him gain a length or two late.

Arcangelo and Disarm are the two choices.