Jeff Siegel’s Saratoga Narrative – 7/3/25

July 3, 2025

Jeff Siegel’s Saratoga Narrative
Best Plays for Thursday, July 3, 2025

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Saratoga 7: Post: 4:20 ET.
Win Play: 9-Scheduling Dude
Degree of Confidence: Very good.
Underneath: none.

Forecast: Scheduling Dude is a son of World of Trouble from an Artie Schiller mare and therefore is bred to move up a ton on grass. Today – finally – he gets his first chance to show it In an abbreviated turf sprint. Based on our pace projection, the R. Dutrow-trained gelding could be quick enough to clear the field from his outside draw and never look back, just as he did in his two career victories earlier in his career when he opened up early and widened from there. Hot riding J. Ortiz takes the call and won’t be waiting around for anybody. Yes, ‘Dude is a 3-yeear-old facing older, but at the price (10-1 morning line) he’s still worth a bit of a gamble.

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Saratoga Race: 8. Post: 5:03 ET.
Win Play: 4-Midway Memories
Degree of Confidence: Good.
Underneath: 6-Play with Fire; 2-Love and Poetry.

Forecast: Midway Memories is one of three C. Brown-trained entrants in today’s Wild Applause Stakes for sophomore turf routing fillies and is the least accomplished of the trio, having raced just twice and just coming off a win from much softer maidens. But this could be a very good filly. The daughter of Cairo Prince was thoroughly professional in victory, switching off nicely early and then quickening impressively when turned loose in the final furlong to graduate going away while shading 30 seconds for the final five sixteenths of a mile. She’ll need to step forward again today but could easily do so, and at a decent price (6-1 morning line), so let’s press with her on top in the win pool and in the various rolling exotics while backing her up with a couple of main contenders.

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Saratoga 11: Post: 5:48 ET.
Win Play: Bint Al Dandy (Ire)
Degree of Confidence: Strong.
Underneath: Opera de Ravel (Fr).

Forecast: Bint Al Dandy (Ire) is better than her first two career outings show on paper and we’re expecting her to confirm it today in this maiden turf route affair for fillies and mares. An excellent runner-up when second in her debut in Ireland last year, she was sent to the States in the fall but blew her best chance with a slow start when fifth behind a runaway winner in a hot affair at Kentucky Downs. She returns off a 10 month layoff with a work tab that should have her fit enough, will race without blinkers for a clever outfit, and has all of the makings of a very live item under one of the stable’s “go-to” riders. Her inside draw ensures a ground saving trip, so a career top effort at 6-1 on the morning line by this Irish-bred import can be expected.

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Jeff Segel’s Saratoga Narrative – Thursday, July 3, 2025