Track tips for Wednesday, Aug. 15
A meet-high $53,737 carries over into this afternoon's Pick Six at Arlington (races 3 through 8). Chances are the pool will exceed $100,000.The Todd Pletcher-trained filly Passion, perhaps the most impressive 2-year-old winner we've seen this season at Arlington, will run in this afternoon's Grade II Adirondack at Saratoga. Installed at odds of 6-1 in the field of nine, the daughter of Came Came breaks from post position No. 2 two with John Velazquez in tow. It will be interesting to see how well her Polytrack form transfers to Saratoga's traditional main track. Carded as race No. 8, the Adirondack is scheduled to go to post at 3:47 p.m. CDT.
Arlington's trio of Festival winners -- Jambalaya, Shamdinan and Royal Highness -- all earned automatic berths into the Breeders' Cup, but the championship status of the Beverly D. winner is dubious at best. The German-bred Royal Highness is not Breeders' Cup eligible, and the connections would have to fork up a $180,000 supplementary fee in order to run her. Trainer Christophe Clement has mentioned using the Grade I Flower Bowl Handicap at Belmont on Sept. 23 as a potential springboard to the $1 million Grade I E.P. Taylor, to be run at Woodbine on Oct. 21, the weekend before the Breeders' Cup (Oct. 26-27) at Monmouth Park. The connections of Arlington Million champ Jambalaya do have the Breeders' Cup Turf on their radar. Possibilities for the gelding's next start include the Grade I Man O'War on Sept. 8 at Belmont or the Grade II Sky Classic Stakes on Sept. 23 at Woodbine.
Best bet: Malameeze (2nd)
Price play: Hocus (3rd)
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