Betting With, and Against, Book’em Danno, in the Forego Stakes

Champion #5 Book’em Danno (1-1) is a towering presence in Saturday’s $500,000 Forego (G1) at Saratoga. The stellar son of Bucchero is a neck shy of riding in on a six-race win streak dating back to last campaign, and the course specialist will also aim to defend his crown in the event after coming home a stylish winner of the heat in 2025. 

Book’em Danno – With

• $15 exacta 5 with 1,4 ($30)
• $5 trifecta key 5 with 1,4 ($10)

Book’em Danno – Against

• $5 trifecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with 1,4,5 ($20)
• 50-cent trifecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with all ($12)
• 30-cent superfecta 1,4 with 1,4,5 with 1,4,5 with all ($8.40)

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Trained by Derek Ryan, the dark bay gelding boasts a strong 6-5-0-0 line at Saratoga in his career and has also won or placed in all but one of his eight lifetime tries at seven-eighths. The New Jersey-bred will be especially strong on Saturday with something close to his best as he landed in a reasonable field for a Grade 1 endeavor, and the tactical five-year-old will also go in a tilt lacking a lot of early speed from the gate. Regular rider Paco Lopez will have the favorite placed in second early on, before making his move as the cast turns for home. 

Todd Pletcher’s #1 Tip Top Thomas (5-1) looks like the pace of the race from the rail and comes off a smart runner-up finish on the oval in his seasonal debut on July 26. The Grade-3 winning son of Volatile will appreciate getting more ground in the seven-furlong tussle on Saturday, and the chestnut colt will also move forward in his second run of the season. He’s posted three solid morning moves in advance of the heat and could get brave if he is left alone for too long up top with Flavien Prat signed on. 

I feel that stout late runner #4 Crazy Mason (12-1) has a winning chance at a price for conditioner Gregory Sacco. The five-year-old son of Coal Front was third by 1 3/4 lengths in the event in 2025 and really likes this venue with a win and two placings from a trio of local efforts to date. He is void of early foot, which always makes his job difficult, but the gray will not have as much ground to make up in this particular race, which figures to have a modest early tempo, and he has also won or placed in every try at what might be his best distance, too. He would not be a surprise to me with Manny Franco taking the reins.