breeders cup Justify (1), with jockey Mike Smith up, crosses the finish line to win the 150th running of the Belmont Stakes horse race and the Triple Crown, Saturday, June 9, 2018, in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Let ‘em Run Review of 8/22/26 Saratoga meet and Preview of 8/29/26, Including The Travers Stakes
We found out why Saratoga is “The Graveyard of Favorites”, as in The Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, the favorite Counting Stars was the latest to succumb to the dreaded curse. Let ‘em Run had a tough weekend as well, as we had a difficult time putting together winners.
This summer meet at the Spa has undeniably presented a series of formidable handicapping challenges for the Let ‘em Run team. Navigating complex cards and unexpected turf-to-dirt shifts has tested our sequences, making a strong finish to the Saratoga meet vital as we aim to deliver the high-caliber precision and trusted analysis our listeners rely on.
We do look ahead to this Saturday as Saratoga puts on their race of the meet, The Travers Stakes. This year’s edition brings a first class field, and we will take a deep dive into this race on our Happy Hour on Friday at 3pm.
Saturday 8/22/26 Race Recaps
Race 8
Best we could do here was a 4th place finish for our top pick #11 Tuthilltown. Jockey Dylan Davis timed his runner’s closing charge in the stretch a tad too late, and was unable to run down the winner #6 Fairy Godmother, ridden by jockey Flavien Prat.
Race 9
We did have our top pick here come through, as favorite #5 Stimulate did the job, and paid a chalky $4.16 for the effort. We also toted the 3rd place finisher #9 Playa Del Mar in our top 3 selections.
Race 10
This is where the graveyard of favorites began to rear its ugly head. The defacto favorite #6 Segesta did not fire at all, and the #5 And One More Time took top spot and paid a healthy $14.62. Our backup selection #7 Grayosh came in 4th place.
Race 11 (The Grade 1 Alabama Stakes)
The race of the day, The Alabama, saw another favorite bite the dust. The #4 My Gun’s Loaded wore down favorite #6 Counting Stars in the stretch, and took home 1st place. Counting Stars came in 3rd place, no help to our ticket.
Race 12
Our wheels continued to fall off, as the best we did with our top two selections was a 3rd and 4th place finish. The winner, #2 Prime Connection, paid $30.26 for the top spot, and keyed a healthy P5 payout of $3,913.
Saratoga Broadcast Booth Highlights
The highlight of the day did not occur at the window with regard to cashing any tickets. I was fortunate enough to be invited up to watch Saratoga track announcer Frank Mirahmadi call race 6 from his lair, up high above the racecourse. It was a very cool experience, and a treat to see a master at work.
Looking Ahead to Travers Saturday (8/29/26)
So we forge ahead and look to the creme de la creme of the Saratoga meet, The Travers Stakes. This race will be part of the Late P5, and a truly deep card is on tap for Saturday 8/29/26.
So join us for Happy Hour on Friday at 3pm, and Saturday at 12:30. On Friday, myself and partner John Kostin will deep dive on the weekend stakes action. Be sure to catch us on Sports Talk Media Network and Capital Sports Network. As we always say, bet smart, cheer hard, fast horses can lead to big fun, and in the end, Let ‘em Run.
