Steve Matthews' Saratoga selections for Sunday, July 31
Best Bet: MAJORITY PARTNER (4); Best Value: DISENGAGE (10)
FIRST: Royal Currency projects as the main speed with aggressive handling. Voleuse will be sitting in the garden spot if top selection is improperly ridden. Eau Claire gets first-time Lasix and moves to dirt; very interesting.
SECOND: Empress Isabel is bred to improve on grass; needs to escape AE list. Fourway Stop made incremental move on the numbers last time; headed in right direction. Ticker Tape Home was a sharp second when favored in debut at Woodbine; must consider.
THIRD: Let's Be Clear fired 5-furlong bullet for first start since clear-cut win on June 12; pairs up. Dawnland visually and numerically impressed when winning last start by 12 lengths; very dangerous. Trade Secret is training swiftly for first start in nine months; don't ignore.
FOURTH: Majority Partner logged swift late-pace figure when a decisive maiden winner on opening day of meet; more to come. Dr. Blute owns speed and is firing bullets for first start since May; big-time contender. Colormepazzi is a front-running threat on best efforts; very interesting.
FIFTH: Queen Bourbon finished with a flourish when winning at the marathon distance last time; takes another. Creative Cairo was a last-race winner at the distance on Laurel turf on June 25; price will be tempting. Forever Dreaming's speed gives her a puncher's chance at beefy odds; don't dismiss.
SIXTH: O Shaughesey bested a next-out winner when second in debut; shaky call in nine-horse field with seven newcomers. Prank was bought for $500k as a yearling and compiled swift works; all the earmarks of an underlay. High Class ($575k yearling) and Check Engine Light (concluded work tab with bullet drill) are two more firsters that must be factored into the mix; charting a must.
SEVENTH: Soldier Rising holds razor-sharp condition and gets favorable cutback in distance. Flop Shot is fresh and consistently logs strong efforts; be no surprise. Value Engineering, an uncoupled Chad Brown barn mate of Flop Shot, makes first start since gelded; must consider.
EIGHTH: Arklow compiled eye-catching work slate for first start since October; ready to roll. Rockemperor also is training strongly and packs potent kick on "A" game; very dangerous. Cross Border owns six wins, a second and a third in eight starts on Spa sod; obvious contender.
NINTH: My Prankster should pack enhanced kick with slight turnback to shorter sprint. Gunite worked out a perfect trip when besting top selection by half-length last out; demand value. Corniche has yet to taste defeat in three starts but has been sidelined for nine months; mixed message.
TENTH: Disengage adds blinkers and turns back to abbreviated dash; throw deep in wide-open nightcap. Slugo fired half-mile bullet since tough-trip seventh in last; dangerous. Martinez had finished second in last two starts; logical player. Chapel Road makes third start of form cycle; must be given a look.
