There’s a pair of Grade I races on dirt this Saturday that could greatly impact the Breeders’ Cup odds.
First, the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga — featuring heavily-favored Cody’s Wish — is the centerpiece on a 12-race card. Later on, Del Mar hosts the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes, a key stepping stone on the way to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
We’ll take a look at both races below in our horse racing free picks and predictions for Saturday, August 5.
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Whitney Stakes odds, prediction and best bet
- Race: Saratoga Race 10
- Post time: 5:42 p.m. ET
- TV: FOX
| Post Position | Horse | Track Morning-Line odds |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zandon | 9-2 | +450 | +450 | +700 |
| 2 | Charge It | 5-1 | +500 | +500 | +500 |
| 3 | Giant Game | 20-1 | +2,000 | +2,000 | +10,000 |
| 4 | Last Samurai | 15-1 | +1,500 | +1,500 | +3,300 |
| 5 | White Abarrio | 6-1 | +600 | +600 | +1,000 |
| 6 | Cody's Wish | 1-2 | -200 | -200 | -250 |
Odds as of August 3, 2023.
No. 6 Cody’s Wish (1-2, morning-line favorite) looks like he’ll pass the distance test this Saturday at Saratoga.
Though he’s been kept to races one mile or shorter since losing the 1 1/16th-mile Challenger Stakes by a neck at Tampa Bay in March of 2022, there are few reasons to believe he won’t handle the 1 1/8-mile Whitney Stakes trip.
Cody’s Wish looks like he’s gotten even better at age 5, as he crushed his foes by open lengths in both the Grade I Churchill Downs Stakes and the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap on the heels of his Breeders’ Cup Dirt mile triumph last year.
From a speed-figure perspective, Cody’s Wish is the class of the Whitney, and is a deserving favorite that’s not worth trying to beat. But rather than trying to cash a win bet at -200 odds, I’ll use Cody’s Wish on top of Zandon in a cold exacta wager.
Zandon put himself on the horse racing map with a triumph in the Grade I Blue Grass Stakes going 1 1/8-miles at Keeneland last April, but has failed to post a victory in seven subsequent races. However, he’s hit the board in all but one of those graded stake efforts, including four runner-up results.
Zandon was second and third, respectively, in his two starts at Saratoga last summer. He has Eclipse Award-winning connections in his corner in trainer Chad Brown and jockey Joel Rosario.
Best bet: $20 exacta 6/1
Clement L. Hirsch Stakes odds, prediction and best bet
- Race: Del Mar Race 10
- Post time: 9:41 p.m. ET
- TV: FanDuel TV
| Post Position | Horse | Track Morning-Line odds | |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elm Drive | 8-1 | +800 | +800 | +400 |
| 2 | Fun to Dream | 8-5 | +160 | +160 | +225 |
| 3 | Adare Manor | 4-5 | -125 | -125 | +125 |
| 4 | Kirstenbosch | 10-1 | +1,000 | +1,000 | +1,000 |
| 5 | Desert Dawn | 5-1 | +500 | +500 | +1,400 |
Odds as of August 3, 2023.
After acing back-to-back Grade IIs over eight combined rivals at Santa Anita in her last two starts, No. 3 Adare Manor (4-5, morning-line favorite) will try to add a Grade I to her résumé in the Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar this Saturday.
She had things all her own way in each of her last two starts, posting blowout gate-to-wire triumphs. If Adare Manor allowed an easy lead here, a similar result should be expected. However, the presence of No. 1 Elm Drive (8-1) could shake things up in the Distaff division out west.
Breaking from the rail, Elm Drive drilled a 44-second half-mile in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade II Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos en route to a third-place finish last time out. The naturally-speedy daughter of Mohaymen will stretch out in distance on Saturday, and with the rail draw once more, she could prove to be a pest to Adare Manor.
Even with that potential road block, Adare Manor could still prove best. However, I’ll hedge my bets with her as I attack the trifecta pool in this race. No. 2 Fun to Dream (8-5) and No. 4 Kirstenbosch (10-1) will be the horses I use alongside the heavy favorite.
Fun to Dream is from the Bob Baffert stable, just like Adare Manor, and is 6-for-8 lifetime. She won the Grade I La Brea last December and took the Grade II Santa Monica before being denied her first Grade I win at a route distance in the Beholder Mile when last seen. Fun to Dream could sit the garden trip behind two dueling frontrunners in this spot.
Kirstenbosch would benefit greatly from hot pace. She didn’t get one in the Grade II Santa Margarita last time out but still ran a courageous second. She won her only prior start at Del Mar and retains jockey Hector Berrios (23%) for trainer John Sadler, who holds the record with five victories in this race.
Best bet: $5 trifecta 3/2,4/2,4, $3 trifecta 2,4/3/2,4, $1 trifecta 2,4/2,4/3, $2 win 4 ($20)
Road to the Breeders' Cup Classic Schedule
| Race | Date | Track | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February Stakes* | February 19 | Tokyo Racecourse (Japan) | Lemon Pop |
| Kentucky Derby | May 6 | Churchill Downs | Mage |
| Preakness Stakes | May 20 | Pimlico | National Treasure |
| Belmont Stakes | June 10 | Belmont Park | Arcangelo |
| Metropolitan Handicap | June 10 | Belmont Park | Cody's Wish |
| Stephen Foster Stakes* | July 1 | Ellis Park | West Will Power |
| Haskell Stakes* | July 22 | Monmouth Park | Geaux Rocket Ride |
| Whitney Stakes* | August 5 | Saratoga | TBD |
| Juddmonte International Stakes (turf)* | August 23 | York (UK) | TBD |
| Travers Stakes | August 26 | Saratoga | TBD |
| Pacific Classic* | September 2 | Del Mar | TBD |
| Jockey Club Gold Cup* | September 2 | Saratoga | TBD |
| Pennsylvania Derby | September 23 | Parx | TBD |
| Awesome Again Stakes* | September 30 | Santa Anita Park | TBD |
| Lukas Classic | September 30 | Churchill Downs | TBD |
*denotes "Win & You're In" race for Breeders' Cup Classic
