Champagne: Single Disco Partner in Friday's Saratoga Pick 5

Friday’s card at Saratoga is of the 11-race variety, and even though it’s restricted, the featured Lucky Coin Stakes came up pretty salty. It attracted one of the top turf sprinters in the country, but I think there’s room to get prices home around him to make this pay a bit.

Singling in the stakes allows me to spread elsewhere, and I’ve put together a $112.50 ticket. Here’s how I’ll play it.

Race 7: Maiden special weight (2-year-old fillies, 5 1/2 F), 4:14 p.m. ET

The 2-year-old races are rarely easy, and this is no exception. I went five-deep to kick things off, and my reluctant top pick has an experience edge on most of this field. That’s #8 DROP A HINT, who was second last time out and exits a bullet work over the training track last week. She pressed a solid pace when last seen, and continued improvement would make her a major player.

I’ll also use #1 SIXTH STREET, #5 SUPERBLOODWOLFMOON, #6 HALLAJOORI, and #9 SHARE YOUR SPIRIT. Of the debuting runners, Share Your Spirit intrigues me most at her likely price, and there are some solid works on her tab. However, the pedigree screams turf, so it’s not like I can say I love her. This figures to be an excellent betting race, and you’ll likely get a nice price on whatever horse you’re drawn to.

Race 8: Allowance (older fillies/mares, NY-bred, 1M, turf), 4:46 p.m. ET

I’m not getting cute here. While I’m going three-deep, I’m using the three likely betting favorites. #9 CHICLET’S DREAM has never finished out of the money in eight career starts and could improve second off the bench, but she’s developing a habit of settling for minor awards. With that in mind, I’ll also use #2 A LITTLE FAITH, who beat Chiclet’s Dream in a photo for second last time out, and #7 NIKO’S DREAM, who has run second in a pair of restricted stakes races earlier this summer.

Race 9: Claiming (older horses, 1 1/8 M), 5:18 p.m. ET

This is a classy race for the level, as a number of these runners have experience in far bigger spots. I’m going three-deep, and I hope that’s deep enough in what turned out to be a fun race to handicap.

#2 LEITONE is my top pick. He was spotted ambitiously in his first start off the claim but didn’t disgrace himself when third in a tough optional claimer on turf. He’s back on dirt here, and he’s got enough tactical speed to use the rail to his advantage.

I’ll also use the entry of #1 TOUR DE FORCE/#1A CANDY PROMISES and #6 ZULU. Both Rudy Rodriguez trainees look live, although only one will likely run (considering Luis Saez is named to ride both), and Zulu was extremely wide in a similar spot earlier in the meet. He should improve here for a barn that must always be respected.

Race 10: Lucky Coin (older horses, 5 1/2 F, turf), 5:50 p.m. ET

I’m not going to overthink this. #3 DISCO PARTNER has been a stalwart in the turf sprint division for years, and he ran a winning race when a close-up second in the Grade 3 Troy. He earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure that day, and a repeat of that effort would make him very, very tough. I’m singling him here, as I imagine many others are as well. If he doesn’t win, winners in this sequence likely cash big, big tickets.

Race 11: Allowance (older fillies/mares, 1M, turf), 6:22 p.m. ET

I think the favorite is no certainty in the finale. #6 FLUSH has run well twice at this level, but her sole win to date came in a weak race at Aqueduct back in January. Maybe she wins, and I’m using her, but it isn’t a case where we can single and move on.

I’m going five-deep to finish this off. It worked out to where I’m solely using even-numbered horses, as #2 TROPICAL FROSTY, #4 AWESOME ALANA, #8 STAR OF THE EAST, and #10 SHORT POUR are all on my ticket. A few of these horses are going to be prices, and if one of them pulls off an upset, it could mean a nice payday.

The ticket:

R7: 1,5,6,8,9

R8: 2,7,9

R9: 1,2,6

R10: 3

R11: 2,4,6,8,10

225 Bets = $112.50