Horsing Around-7/31
Irad Ortiz Jr. continues his stellar season but Luis Saez has closed the gap since week 1. Manuel Franco cracks the top ten but it has been a disappointing run in Saratoga after finishing top 3 at Belmont.
Six jockeys now have double-digit first-place races under their belts but Irad remains the only jockey with over 20.
Tyler Gaffalione and Dylan Davis have put together solid weeks and are climbing the rankings.
Top Ten Jockeys as of 7/31/23 at Saratoga:
Jockey | Starts | Win | Place | Show |
Irad Ortiz Jr. | 112 | 24 | 34 | 16 |
Luis Saez | 93 | 17 | 10 | 14 |
Jose L. Ortiz | 73 | 15 | 13 | 11 |
Tyler Gaffalione | 61 | 11 | 4 | 11 |
Joel Rosario | 59 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
Javier Castellano | 73 | 10 | 6 | 10 |
Dylan Davis | 64 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
Flavien Pratt | 59 | 8 | 8 | 13 |
Jose Lezcano | 45 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
Manuel Franco | 79 | 5 | 15 | 10 |
Top Ten Trainers as of 7/31/23 at Saratoga:
Trainer | Starts | Win | Place | Show | Win % |
Linda Rice | 49 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 31 |
Chad Brown | 58 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 22 |
Todd A. Pletcher | 48 | 12 | 9 | 4 | 25 |
William Mott | 41 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
Rudy Rodriguez | 21 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 29 |
Christophe Clement | 30 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
Brad Cox | 17 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 24 |
Wesley Ward | 11 | 3 | 2 | 27 | |
Brendan Walsh | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 30 |
Thomas Morley | 14 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 21 |
Rice still holds the top spot but here comes Chad Brown. Don't dismiss Rudy Rodriguez who has won nearly 30% of his starts thus far.
This Week’s Saratoga Best Bets:
Wednesday Race 2: #3 Bustino Santino ridden by Jose Ortiz.
Wednesday Race 4: I like the #1 Shadow Dragon on the rail.
Wednesday Race 10: #4 Baby Sox ridden by Manny Franco will keep Franco in the top ten in jockey earnings.
Thursday Race 1: A SuperFecta Box to start the day: 2/3/8/9/10
Thursday Race 6: #7 Lesley's Loot is a strong play in the opening race of the day, ridden by Javier Castellano.
Thursday Race 10: Take the #9 Ripe for Mischief-ridden Luis Saez is a strong play. Looking for an Exacta Box? Pair him with the #1 and #6
Friday Race 1: I like the #5 Wiched Again to kick off the card with a win.
Friday Race 6: I like the #6 Run Diem Z to win this one. Try an Exacta Box with the #4 and #8
Friday Race 11: Take a Superfecta Box here of 2-3-7-8-10.
*Reminder that all races are subject to change so check the late scratches right up until race time.