Longshot of the Day: Race 6 at Saratoga
Track: Saratoga Racecourse
Race 6: $95K allowance going 6 furlongs on dirt for 3+ NY-bred fillies & mares
Post Time: 4:02 PM ET
Horse: #3 Collect the Data (6/1 morning line) use as a win bet at 9/2 or higher.
A horse coming off a significant layoff is always a dicey proposition, but it also provides an opportunity for value, even when coming from a highly respected barn. Collect the Data debuted for trainer Chad Brown back in October 2023 and made little impression against NY-bred MSW company and struggled next time out going a mile against the same level of competition. However, next time out in January 2024, Brown dropped the daughter of Upstart down to maiden claiming company and she got the job done breaking her maiden while getting Lasix with Manny Franco aboard. However, her return to the track has been slow as she has been training for stretches and then had gaps to work through issues. She’s been consistently working since March of this year and is now entered in a race in July, so she should be plenty fit. The encouraging part for me is that Brown does not drop this horse in class. This is a horse who won against $40K maiden claiming company and did not run for 18 months, yet she returns in a competitive N1X allowance race for twice the purse money she ran for when she broke her maiden. Collect the Data is owned by Klaravich Stables, which makes the move even more curious as Klaravich regularly drops horses into the claiming or maiden claiming ranks during Saratoga, particularly in this type of spot. The fact Klaravich and Brown want to hold onto this horse and not expose her to a tag after a lengthy layoff is encouraging. Jockey Manny Franco is back aboard and has gotten some wins over the last week, which is a good confidence boost after a tough start to the meet. The horse possesses good early speed and should be keen to run. I love the six-furlong distance, and the track has been playing well to early speed, so I expect her to be there early and be able to hold on late. Brown is outstanding bringing horses back from lengthy layoffs, so if any trainer can get this horse to fire after such a long time off, it is Brown.