How to bet the 2024 Honorable Miss Handicap

An excellent field of eight fillies and mares will vie in Wednesday’s $200,000 Honorable Miss H. (G2) at Saratoga. I can’t find too much separation with the more fancied runners in the field and will take a stand with one of the contenders in the first and second slots. 

Honorable Miss Wagers

• $15 win and place #6 Spirit Wind ($30)
• 50-cent superfecta 6,8 with with 3,4,6,8 with 3,4,6,8 with all ($30)

Saffie Joseph’s #6 Spirit Wind (3-1) is very quick but proved capable of rating and finishing last time when crushing an overmatched field at Lone Star. By Bahamian Squall, the dark bay mare is 6-for-11 in her lifetime which includes a superb 5-for-6 mark at the six-furlong distance, and the Florida-bred could surely be the one to catch turning for home in the field. 

Spirit Wind has been a high-level performer dating back to her juvenile season and will be ready for her local debut following a trio of morning drills on the main course at The Spa. I also find it to be interesting that jockey Mike Smith, who went to Texas to guide the filly in her latest offering, comes in to retain the mount. This is a major positive, in my opinion. 

#8 Munnys Gold (2-1) is the deserving morning-line choice for Todd Pletcher, and the swift filly was a facile winner on the surface leading up to this dash. The daughter of Munnings was flattered somewhat when the horse she beat last time, Roswell, came back to run a big second behind a nice filly in the allowance ranks over the weekend. Regular rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be in the silks, and the four-year-old is a strong win candidate, obviously.

The longshot in the field that intrigues me most is Jose D’Angelo’s #3 Freedom Speaks (20-1). This American Freedom five-year-old has raced just twice since 2022, but she has a lot of talent and I love the confidence that her conditioner shows in putting her in a pair of graded races with such little racing over the past two seasons. Her tightener was decent at Woodbine last time out and she could grab a share at a big price under Luis Saez. I’m not fond of her winning chances, but she will be in my exotics plays. 

#4 Clearly Unhinged (5-1) is of good value in the dash for Steve Asmussen. A head second in the Test S. (G1) on the surface last summer, the fleet daughter of Into Mischief is 2-for-2 since joining this outfit and will potentially be on the front end in the early going with a clean break under Rosario. The recent Grade 3 vixen will need to improve to win the race, but she is dangerous nonetheless with Rosario in the stirrups.