Friday’s Best Bets and Quick Picks: Diamond Life can shine at Saratoga

Handicapper J. Keeler Johnson shares best bets and quick picks for Friday, Aug. 15 at Saratoga and Del Mar, along with horses to play in the $2,919 Pick 6 carryover at Colonial Downs.

Today’s special offers from TwinSpires include:

• New Players $200 Sign-Up Bonus: Open your TwinSpires.com account using the offer code BET200 to start earning a $200 bonus.
• Saratoga $3,000 3 Pick 3: Hit three Pick 3s at Saratoga for a chance to split a $3,000 prize pool each Friday in August.
• Del Mar $5 Late Double 25% Profit Boost: Hit the $5 Late Double at Del Mar to receive a 25% profit boost (up to $25 per day) each Friday in August.

Today’s TwinSpires tournaments include:

• $70 Saratoga Challenge
• $320 Saratoga Bonus Feeder Friday to 8/16 Saratoga/King's Plate KDBC/NHC Qualifier
• $200 Colonial Downs Feeder to 8/23 Travers MMBC/BCBC Qualifier
• $50 Colonial Downs Challenge

Best Bets and Quick Picks

Saratoga: Race 1: Maiden Special Weight (1 1/16 miles on turf, 1:10 p.m. ET)

#7 Honoree (3-1) never factored when debuting in an off-the-turf maiden special weight sprinting seven furlongs at Saratoga last month, finishing sixth by a wide margin. But switching to turf may trigger improvement.

After all, Honoree’s dam—Figure of Beauty—has already foaled six turf winners from eight starters, including Ladies Marathon (G3) heroine Vergara. And Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey has gone 6-for-21 (29%) saddling two-year-olds in turf routes at Saratoga since 2021.

Let’s place a win bet on Honoree.

Selections

• #7 Honoree (3-1)
• #1A Caroline St. Beat (2-1)
• #2 Force (5-1)

Wagers

• $25 to win on #7 Honoree

Saratoga: Race 6: Maiden Special Weight (six furlongs on dirt, 4:06 p.m. ET)

#5 Diamond Life (6-1) is an intriguing first-time starter in this maiden special weight for New York-breds, in large part because he’s trained by Michelle Giangiulio, a 33% winner with horses debuting in maiden special weights.

Since 2020, Giangiulio has debuted exactly one horse at Saratoga. That was Noonzio, a 7-1 shot who won a seven-furlong dirt maiden special weight for New York-breds last year. The winning jockey was Kendrick Carmouche.

Can history repeat itself with Diamond Life? Carmouche is in the saddle, and Diamond Life showed some ability with a near-bullet five-furlong workout from the Saratoga starting gate in 1:01 earlier this month.

At 6-1, Diamond Life is worthy of a win bet.

Selections

• #5 Diamond Life (6-1)
• #1 Valentine Crusader (5-2)
• #6 Mission Critical (8-1)

Wagers

• $20 to win on #5 Diamond Life

Del Mar: Race 6: CTT and TOC S. (1 3/8 miles on turf, 8:32 p.m. ET)

#3 Mrs. Astor (5-2) is a force to reckon with in California turf routes. Since November, she’s won the 1 3/8-mile Red Carpet (G3), 1 1/8-mile Robert J. Frankel (G3), 1 1/2-mile Santa Barbara S., and 1 1/4-mile Possibly Perfect S., in addition to finish second in the 1 1/4-mile Santa Ana (G3).

Under jockey Umberto Rispoli (21% winner on turf this year), Mrs. Astor is a logical choice to win the CTT and TOC. #7 Starry Heavens (6-1), second in the Santa Barbara and third in the Santa Ana and Possibly Perfect, can complete the exacta.

Selections

• #3 Mrs. Astor (5-2)
• #7 Starry Heavens (6-1)
• #4 Sunset Glory (5-1)

Wagers

• $15 to win on #3 Mrs. Astor
• $15 Exacta: 3 with 7
  Total: $30

Carryover Watch

Colonial Downs: Race 3: $2,919 Pick 6 carryover (5:00 p.m. ET)

The ever-elusive 50-cent “Old Dominion 6” Pick 6 at Colonial Downs has gone unsolved for two days in a row, triggering a $2,919 double carryover into Friday’s card.

Keep an eye on the weather before assembling your tickets. There’s a chance for thunderstorms at Colonial Downs, and if heavy rainfall strikes early enough in the day, we could see turf races switched to dirt. That would significantly shake up the Pick 6 since five of the six races are scheduled for grass.

The lone dirt race in the sequence is Race 3, a $12,500 maiden claimer for fillies and mares dashing six furlongs on dirt. #4 Bajan Bashert (3-2) is the favorite, and for good reason. While she’s misfired in a couple of recent turf starts, her dirt form is solid. During the spring at Penn National, she ran third by half a length in a $25,000 maiden claimer. And last summer, she finished fourth (beaten only 4 1/4 lengths) in a $50,000 maiden claimer for California-breds at Del Mar.

#6 Song and a Breeze (2-1) is the only other entrant we might consider including on Pick 6 tickets. In her most recent dirt try, the three-year-old filly finished fifth by 3 1/2 lengths in a $25,000 maiden claimer at Gulfstream Park, earning a 72 Brisnet Speed rating that stacks up well against Bajan Bashert’s recent dirt numbers.

Now, assuming the grass races aren’t switched to dirt, a viable Pick 6 single can be found in Race 7, a $20,000 starter optional claimer taking place over 1 1/16 miles on turf. #5 Rigel (8-5) has won his last four starts in a row, most recently leading nearly all the way to win a 1 1/16-mile $25,000 claimer over the Colonial Downs turf by 2 1/4 lengths.

Rigel brings a lengthy series of Brisnet Speed ratings into Friday’s contest and is slated to be ridden by hot jockey Ben Curtis, a 27% winner at Colonial this meet and a 67% winner teaming up with trainer Jose Gallegos over the last two months. He appears perfectly spotted to nab a fifth straight win.

Good luck!