Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, August 30

Embed from Getty Images

This weekend is absolutely packed with great racing! Saturday and Sunday include great cards from Saratoga, Del Mar and Kentucky Downs. Both Saratoga and Del Mar run on Sunday as well. Since there are so many quality races to cover, I’m going to write up different races than what is available on VSiN At The Track. If you’d like to hear full breakdowns of the Pacific Classic, Nashville Derby, Jockey Club Gold Cup and Spinaway as well as two best bets from Kentucky Downs on Saturday, check out the podcast. Here are the links:

VSiN At The Track on Apple and Spotify

Make sure to subscribe to make sure you don’t miss an episode!

The Green Flash, Del Mar, Race #9

This fun turf sprint drew a full field of 12 and two also eligibles, which makes it a very good betting race. The morning line favorite is #10 Motorious, who has won this race the last two years. He clearly likes the track and the distance, but he is going to be a short price, so let’s try to beat him. 

I’ll go right to his outside with the #11 Queen Maxima, who takes on the boys in this spot. She has a five-race win streak sprinting before trying a mile last time out. She cuts back to her best distance today and, while she is fast enough to get the lead, she does not need it. Her two races prior to the mile effort are good enough to be competitive here. She draws top jock JJ Hernandez, who is clicking off at 26% during this Del Mar meet. 

I will use #8 Sumter in multi-race bets and underneath in the Pick 4/5 bets at a price. He’s 15-1 and just missed by a head to Motorious two races back. He should be flying late, and I like the move to John Velazquez as the pilot. 

#4 Sorrento Sky is another interesting price who has been on the improve. This is a logical spot for another step forward being second off the layoff late in the 4-year-old season.

Top 4: 11-10-8-4The Bets – $50 Win #11

Turf Sprint, Kentucky Downs, Race #9

As expected in any Kentucky Downs race, we’ve got a full field headed postward. When playing this track, experience, especially good experience, over the track is a big positive. #6 Khaadem will ship over from Europe for the second straight year after running a very good second to Cogburn last year. The fact trainer Charlie Hills has decided to ship out again speaks volumes about how Khaadem handled the course. He broke poorly last year, but has speed and should get a winning trip this time around. 

#2 Howard Wolowitz is a deserving morning line favorite here, but will need to at least repeat his effort here last year to win. I do not have him on top simply because this will be the first off the layoff and first time back in the US after running overseas, two things I generally avoid when playing favorites. 

Let’s go to a bomb in third with #5 Bear River, who is 15-1 on the morning line. He has seemed to figure it out in his 4-year-old season with a nice win in the prep for this race at Ellis Park. He’s a speed play on a course that favors speed. 

#7 Arrest Me Red has a win over the course, and trainer Wesley Ward has been solid at Kentucky Downs. He’s in the mix at 5-1.

Top 4: 6-2-5-7
The Bets – $50 Win #6

The post Horse Racing Picks for Saturday, August 30 from Mike Somich appeared first on VSiN.