How to bet the Perfect Sting Stakes

A total of 10 fillies and mares will travel one mile over the inner turf in Friday’s deep, $150,000 Perfect Sting S. at Saratoga. Graham Motion’s stakes heroine #9 Ribaltagaia (8-1) looked good in her U. S. debut at Gulfstream in December when finishing a closing fourth in the Suwanee River S. (G3) despite being floated eight wide in the stretch over the speed-favoring surface. 

Perfect Sting Wagers

• $5 exacta key box 9 with 4,5,6 ($30)
• 50-cent trifecta box 4,5,6,9 ($12)

Now in the hands of Graham Motion, the Blame four-year-old kept excellent company as a sophomore in France, and she figures to improve with seasoning. The Kentucky-bred bay has been working consistently since June, leading up to her seasonal debut for a conditioner who is always dangerous off the layoff of this kind. Junior Alvarado retains the mount. 

Just A Game S. (G1) queen #5 Dynamic Pricing (9-5) is a consistently very good late runner and the class of the field for trainer Chad Brown. The Night of Thunder four-year-old comes off a nice try behind a fine top duo over a ‘good’ surface in the Diana S. (G1) most recently and has never run a bad one from a trio of tries at this venue. Irish-bred bay will be fresh off the short absence, with Dylan Davis staying in the saddle. 

#4 A Lilac Rolla (8-1) deserves another chance after being a non-factor over the yielding going in the Just A Game in her stateside debut for Bill Mott. The four-year-old Harry Angel filly is a Group 3 heroine who capped 2024 with a pair of nice Grade 1 placings, and she will move forward on Friday. She loses Junior Alvarado but inherits Jose Lezcano. 

The course-loving #6 Proctor Street (7-2) was an impressive allowance romper on the strip for Brendan Walsh in her latest endeavor to move her mark to two-for-two at The Spa. The Street Sense four-year-old earned a hefty 106 Brisnet Late Pace rating most recently, and the homebred could move up while making her third run off the bench, as well. The four-year-old will have Irad in the stirrups once again.