For the second consecutive Saturday no one was able to solve the $1 Pick 6 at Saratoga leading to a Sunday carryover of $166,703 in the traditional style wager that kicks off shortly before 3PM eastern. Here are a few horses I like most within Sunday’s Pick 6 sequence.


Race 4:
The Pick 6 gets started with a wide-open MSW event at one-mile for 2YOs over the Inner Turf where #5 Berta’s Stitch was made the 7-2-ML favorite by oddsmaker David Aragona after a strong finish and gallop out on debut going 5.5-furlongs at Aqueduct in mid-June. The pedigree is there to get the two-turns, but a late finish going one turn when lacking early zip does not always translate to a move forward with more ground. The experience advantage is certainly an edge, but the tote will show that. I will try first-time starter #3 Suspend. Hall of Famer Bill Mott used to be good for one upset win with a 2YO in a two-turn MSW turf race each summer at the Spa. His business plan has changed of late with a focus on winning Triple Crown races like he did with Sovereignty, but I like the draw and pedigree on this son of Tapit that is out of a War Front mare that won on debut over the Belmont grass and went 5 for 17 for over $1M in career earnings. He should be fit for his debut after a long series of drills in Florida and New York.

Play: #3 Suspend (10-1 ML)
Picks: 3-6-5


Race 6:
Trainer Chad Brown holds a strong hand in this second-level allowance event for fillies and mares at 6.5-furlongs over the main track with 9-5-ML favorite #7 Alyeska and 7-2-second choice #3 Limes Don’t Lie, but the issue is Brown is on an 0-14 skid this week. This obviously includes several runners that looked like they were in with significant chances on paper. The perennial high percentage conditioner will get going at the Spa soon enough, but is hard to back until I see the obvious heat up from his barn. Especially given the probable race shape in the start of the late Pick 4 where there is very little speed on paper outside of #1 She’s a Gamer. The daughter of Game Winner ships in from the Jersey Shore for Kelly Breen after a seven-length winner versus lesser. The extra half-furlong and ability to handle the increase in competition are obvious questions, but she may forget to stop with the lead she should have when they turn for home.

Play: #1 She’s a Gamer
Picks: 1-6-7


Race 8:
This optional claimer over the Inner Turf will be a tough hurdle for anyone alive after four legs of the challenging Pick 6 sequence since there are a number of ways. #1 Mo Kressa should get a great trip third off the bench at 15-1 on the ML if he can relax along the inside this time, while #8 Hard Circle comes into his second start off the claim for Mertkan Kantarmaci after a trio of promising starts over the grass. That said, #12 The Paddock Pastor at his 8-1-ML offering is tough to pass up. The 5YO gelding ran too good to lose here at the Spa last month. The son of Get Stormy was caught wide throughout on a day where saving ground was imperative, yet still kept trying to the wire at odds of 13-1. The NY-bred enters this spot in the best form of his career and is in with a big chance if jockey Jaime Rodriguez can find a way to work out a favorable trip. He certainly needs to have to have a better plan than he did on June 7, but this horse should be rolling late if able to save any ground into that first turn.

Play: #12 The Paddock Pastor
Picks: 12-1-8