Saratoga: Spot Plays for June 5, 2025

After a Wednesday program devoted primarily to New York-breds, Thursday's card at Saratoga is nearly free of restricted races save one maiden for fillies and mares on the turf. The 10-race program features a pair of historic stakes for precocious juveniles and the Intercontinental (G2) for turf sprint distaffers. I'll be taking a look at the latter, plus some of the overnight events sprinkled elsewhere during the afternoon.

Race 2: Maiden, 1:13 p.m. ET

Given the uncertain weather conditions in Saratoga Springs as we head into the weekend, it's not a bad thing #5 Fire's Out (9-2) has shown some versatility in handling different surfaces, just like her full sister Dreamfyre, who was a Grade 3 winner on both dirt and turf at two.

Fire's Out likely had a good blow in her May 11 return from a seven-month layoff, overcoming traffic and rallying for third in a six-furlong test downstate in what was her turf debut. She didn't miss by much in a race, evidently too short for her, and the stretchout here to 1 1/16 miles should help.

Race 7: Intercontinental (G2), 4:02 p.m. ET

#4 Danse Macabre (9-2) should offer a little value here in her second start for the Clement stable. Making her first start since late August and only her third since November 2023, she fared well when third by a length to presumptive Intercontinental favorite Future Is Now in the April 13 Giant's Causeway (G3) at Keeneland.

Danse Macabre was second in both previous runs over this course, including a neck loss in the Caress (G3) last July. If she can work out a trip from behind in this speed-laden heat, she'll be one to fend off in the late stages.

Race 10: Maiden, 5:47 p.m. ET

The nightcap is a maiden for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, a logical spot for the four-year-old #5 Bint Al Dandy (8-1) to show a bit more than in her U.S. debut at Kentucky Downs last fall.

Four months after a debut second in at Gowran Park in Ireland, Bint Al Dandy attracted support at Kentucky Downs but dug herself an early hole after breaking slow and never really made an impact. The one-race experiment with blinkers ends here, and she's shown good and improved speed in her works both at Belmont and locally. The trainer/jockey combo of Falcone and Franco has also been productive over the last couple of years.