Longshot of the Day: Race 6 at Saratoga
Track: Saratoga Racecourse
Race 6: $100K MSW going 5 ½ furlongs on turf for 2YO fillies
Post Time: 4:06 PM ET
Horse: #3 Blanchett (8/1 morning line) use as a win bet at 6/1 or higher.
Wednesday features a $132,232 Pick 6 carryover starting in Race 4 (post time 2:58 PM ET) and so I wanted to try to find a longshot within that sequence and did not have to look far as there is an enticing maiden runner in the form of Blanchett for trainer Graham Motion. The $335,000 daughter of Oscar Performance was purchased as a yearling in the Keeneland September Sale in 2024 so there are clearly some expectations. Her dam, Knit One Purr Too, was a stakes winning turf sprinter who has had three raced foals. Two of the three won in debut, though both of those victories came over dirt as they were sired by Twirling Candy and Lemon Drop Kid. Still, it is encouraging to see that level of precocity from the female family and while Oscar Performance is not particularly overwhelming with his first-out stats for two-year-old debut runners, he certainly has produced plenty of winners in those spots. I love the combination of sprinter speed from the dam’s side matched with the turf route influence of the sire line. Additionally, Motion is more than capable to getting a horse ready for debut as he is 13% over the last five years with first-out two-year-olds female turf sprinters in MSWs. Blanchett has been working consistently at Fair Hill and turned in an impressive 48.3 second four-furlong bullet work out of the gate two back, which bodes well for her flashing legitimate early speed. Fair Hill is a deeper surface and rarely produce eye-popping workout times, so the fact Motion had this run a bullet from the gate in that time was particularly noteworthy. Jockey Manny Franco hops aboard and this duo has won some big races recently with Test Score winning the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) at Saratoga during the July 4 Racing Festival. Solid pedigree, strong workouts, and winning connections are all reasons to consider taking a shot with Blanchett in Race 6 today and including this one in your P6 ticket.