THURSDAY RECAP: Spa fans were treated to a little taste of everything. Leading jockey Luis Saez (53 wins) and top trainer Chad Brown (30) teamed up to capture Race 8 with #7 Union Maiden ($9.80) … Brown had two other winners, in Races 3 & 9, with rider Irad Ortiz Jr. … The average $2 Win ticket paid $11.90 and the $1 Pick 6 returned $74,031 … Finally, in Race 7, Mr. Ed’s PRICE PLAY (#11 High Tide), put a huge grin on his face, paying $20 to Win & $9 to Place.
IRAD INDEX: Continuing to show mixed results, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (41) moved into second place in the rider standings with victories in Races 3 ($4.90) & 9 ($6.20). For the day, he had eight mounts (-$16), earning $11.10 for a net loss of $4.90 based on a $2 Win bet on each of his mounts. Over the past seven days he has won nine of 39 contests, posting a disappointing return on investment of -$27.70. In need of a few pricy scores, he has rides in nine races today.
FRIDAY AT THE SPA: New York Racing Association (NYRA) rules the day with six restricted-to-NY-breds stakes, headlined by Race No. 9, The $250,000 Albany for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. First post for the 11-race program is 1:05 p.m. ET/10:05 a.m. PT. Here are Mr. Ed’s selections:
EXACTA EXTRA (Race No. 4, 2:47 p.m. ET/11:47 a.m. PT)
Eight precocious youngsters are going 6 1/2 furlongs in the $200,000 Funny Side Stakes, including a highly touted Baffert colt. Mr. Ed targets three that can upset him: #4 Who Hoo Thats Me (10-1 morning line), #6 Bourbon’s Hope (6-1) and #8 Daufuskie Island (9-2). Wager: $2 Exacta Box of 4,6 & 8. ($12)
PRICE PLAY (Race No. 8, 5:03 p.m. ET/2:03 p.m. PT)
Underachieving #7 City Man (9-2 morning line) needs a clean trip to defeat this crew of hard chargers. Joel Rosario returns for Christophe Clement barn, which is having a sneaky good meet. C’mon, Man. Wager: $10 to Win & Place on 7. ($20)
LATE PICK 4 (Races Nos. 8-11, 5:03 p.m. ET/2:03 p.m. PT)
Race 8: 1,2,7
Race 9: 2,5
Race 10: 3,6,9,10
Race 11: 1,5,7,14 ($48)
BEST BET (Race No. 9, 5:39 p.m. ET/2:39 p.m. PT)
Mr. Ed likes favorite #2 Americanrevolution (9-5 morning line) in the $250,000 Albany Stakes for NY-bred boys at 1 1/8 miles on the main oval for powerful Luis Saez-Todd Pletcher combo. I can taste a chalky victory. Wager: $30 to Win on 2.
TOTAL WAGERS: $110
SATURDAY’S SIZZLING STAKES: Post time for the 13-race Travers Day card, featuring seven outstanding stakes, is 11:35 a.m. ET/8:35 a.m. PT. Here’s the rundown:
The Grade 2 Ballston Spa (Race No. 4, 1:17 p.m. ET/10:17 a.m. PT)
$400,000 for fillies & mares, 4-years-old & up at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
One to Watch: #6 Kalifornia Queen (2-1 morning line); Prat & Brown.
The Grade 1 Ballerina Handicap (Race No. 7, 3:02 p.m. ET/12:02 p.m. PT)
$500,000 for fillies & mares, 3-years-old & up at 7 furlongs.
One to Watch: #1 Gamine (3-5): 8 of 9 for Baffert.
The Grade 1 Forego (Race No. 8, 3:37 p.m. ET/12:37 p.m. PT)
$600,000 for 4-years-old & up at 7 furlongs.
One to Watch: #7 Yaupon (5-2); by Uncle Mo, Santana & Asmussen.
The Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (Race No. 9, 4:12 p.m. ET/1:12 p.m. PT)
$500,000 for 3-years-old at 7 furlongs.
One to Watch: #6 Life Is Good (8-5); never headed, gets Money Mike Smith.
The Grade 1 Personal Ensign (Race No. 10, 4:47 p.m. ET/1:47 p.m. PT)
$600,000 for fillies & mares, 4-years-old & up at 1 1/8 miles.
One to Watch: #6 Letruska (6-5); Irad Ortiz Jr. warms to task.
The Grade 1 Sword Dancer (Race No. 11, 5:25 p.m. ET/2:25 p.m. PT)
$750,000 for 4-years-old & up at 1 1/2 miles on turf.
One to Watch: #1 Tribhuvan (2-1); Prat & Brown strike again.
The Grade 1 Travers (Race No. 12, 6:12 p.m. ET/3:12 p.m. PT)
$1,250,000 for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4 miles.
One to Watch: #6 Masqueparade (8-1); graveyard of champions.