Saratoga: 3 dangerous long shots are on Friday undercard

Six graded-stakes races on a Friday? That is the treat that fans get to enjoy this Friday at Saratoga with one of the best weekday cards of the entire year serving as an appetizer to the eight graded-stakes races on Belmont Stakes Saturday.

Although it will be exciting to see many of racing's best on display, the non-stakes races appear to be better wagering opportunities with more wide-open fields. With that in mind, I zero in on three long shots running in non-stakes action who can spice up vertical and horizontal wagers.

Race 3

No. 7 Refuel, (10-1). Todd Pletcher and Mike Repole will look to get off to a quick start with this speedy sprinter. He won the first two starts of his career and ran a promising third in his stakes debut before appearing to take a step back in his last pair of starts. I think circumstances played more of a role in his last two races than ability. He broke slowly in the William Walker Stakes and was much farther back than usual. Something likely went wrong that day as he was not seen again for a year. Last time out, he set blazing fractions going sub-21 seconds for the quarter and sub-43 seconds for the half. He understandably tired a bit late while needing a race off a layoff. This gelding now makes his second start off the bench and catches a field with far less speed. Luis Saez, who had the mount for for both of his wins, is back aboard and will try to shake loose at a nice price.

Race 8

No. 9 Solutions, (12-1). This ridgling took some money in his first start for David Donk's barn, which does not win very often with debut runners. He flashed good speed and dueled with an odds-on favorite before they both were run down late. It was a solid first start sprinting on the dirt for a runner who is bred to improve routing over the turf. With Saez taking the mount, he likely will be ridden aggressively in a field without much confirmed early speed. It will only take mild improvement for this David Donk runner to pull off the upset. 

Race 14

No. 14 Poppy's Ticket, (8-1). Chris Englehart's runner goes from the far inside to the far outside post after being stuck on the rail for his debut. He was bet down to 2-1 that day and ran an even third after being gelded just three days prior to the race. He has worked well since that effort and should take a nice step forward with that experience under his belt. The two morning-line favorites in this race both have had their chances and could not close the deal at low odds previously, opening the door for a mild upset Friday.