Hopeful guide: Odds, PPs, analysis for Saratoga feature
The traditional closing-day feature at Saratoga is set for Monday as nine 2-year-olds contest the Grade 1, $300,000 Hopeful Stakes.
Ferocious is the 8-5 morning-line favorite off a sharp maiden score Aug. 3 at Saratoga. Standing in his way are Chad Brown-trained Chancer McPatrick at 5-2 and Todd Pletcher’s Mentee at 5-1.
The Hopeful is race 10 of 12 as the Spa signs off for the summer, and post time is 5:43 p.m. EDT. The race may be seen live on FS2.
Visit Horse Racing Nation’s free past performances page for downloadable PPs for the Hopeful and more courtesy of our partners at Brisnet.
We also have Super Screener picks and analysis for the Hopeful as well as recent top speed figures for each contender
Hopeful best speed figures
| Post | Horse | ML | Beyer | TimeformUS | HRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mr. Mendelslew | 50-1 | |||
| 2 | Ferocious | 8-5 | 96 | 104 | 99 |
| 3 | Innovator | 15-1 | 77 | 97 | 92 |
| 4 | Tough Catch | 8-1 | 78 | 101 | 91 |
| 5 | Smoken Wicked | 15-1 | 72 | 100 | 95 |
| 6 | Studlydoright | 12-1 | 82 | 96 | 93 |
| 7 | Mentee | 5-1 | 88 | 108 | 98 |
| 8 | Chancer McPatrick | 5-2 | 81 | 102 | 92 |
| 9 | Incentive Pay | 8-1 | 68 | 91 | 83 |
Looking at the pace
Mentee figures to make the front over Tough Catch in this seven-furlong affair, though he’ll have to pay the price. Ferocious is projected to sit in the second flight while Chancer McPatrick tries to catch and pass them all.
Mr. Mendelslew is a first-time starter, so no pace data is available for him.
Pace Projector appears courtesy of TimeformUS.
HRN picks for the Hopeful
Grab the special Saratoga through Breeders’ Cup Super Screener package for only $97, a savings of nearly $400, and get analysis for the Hopeful and much more.
Ed DeRosa’s Hopeful fair odds believe the speedy Tough Catch could go off at a generous price and is the main danger to Ferocious, not Chancer McPatrick.
While we get ready to say good-bye to Saratoga for 2024, the New York Racing Association already is looking ahead to the 2025 summer meet. Daily Racing Form reports an earlier start date of either July 3 or 4 is a possibility.
Brian Zipse also has his eyes to the future. He believes Dragoon Guard has a chance to surpass Fierceness in the 3-year-old male division by year's end.
Ron Flatter’s latest column celebrates the Labor Day racing weekend at Saratoga, Del Mar and Kentucky Downs.