Hanson: Handicapping the Forego-Sword Dancer Double

A strong threat of rain in Saratoga Springs on Saturday could make for some interesting handicapping and viewing in the co-featured Forego (G1) and Sword Dancer (G1). There are a couple longer-priced entrants worthy of note in each race and the plan is to link the following in Doubles while hoping to keep the morning-line favorites at bay.

Forego -- Race 8 -- 5: 07 p.m. ET

One horse whose sprinting talents haven't yet been fully exploited or displayed is #7 WIN WIN WIN (12-1), who spent the better part of his 3-year-old campaign prepping for the classics and running in the first two. While some of those tries were good, they only proved to show he was a more effective talent around one turn. His last attempt at this 7-furlong trip, the 2019 Pasco S. at Tampa, was a solid piece of work that holds up comparatively well, and he could be ready to peak in this third start back from an extended layoff after a troubled start last out facing #6 Complexity.

#11 FORTIN HILL (6-1) the lesser accomplished of two Chad Browns in here, but also less exposed than Complexity. While not the easiest horse to keep on the track, his quality and potential are evident and connections are seemingly confident in the latter to throw this Indiana-bred into the deep end for his stakes debut. Handles wet ground and should be prominently placed with an alert beginning.

Sword Dancer -- Race 9 -- 5:43 p.m. ET

Trainer Mike Maker has a serious trio in here, with #6 CROSS BORDER (3-1) looking to improve his local mark to 6-for-6 after being elevated to first in the Bowling Green (G2) earlier this month. Some horses just fare exceptionally well at a specific locale, and Saratoga is obviously his.

Not sure whether #3 MARZO (10-1) is here to provide pace like he did in the Bowling Green, but he's obviously not a one-dimensional front-runner. In fact, Santana was aboard for a stalk-and-pounce score in last fall's Sycamore (G3) over 12 furlongs on "good" ground, so he can see out the distance with the right trip as well as potential wet footing. That Bowling Green was also his first run since March, and conceivably he'll strips fitter for this