How to bet the Honorable Miss Handicap

A compact, but especially talented, field of four fillies and mares will go postward in Wednesday’s $200,000 Honorable Miss H. (G2) at Saratoga. The six-furlong affair on the dirt is led by champion #1 Echo Zulu (4-5), who commenced her four-year-old campaign with a facile score in the Winning Colors S. (G3) at Churchill Downs in May.

The brilliant daughter of Gun Runner sports a superb 9-7-1-0 lifetime line, with her lone setbacks coming when a very good fourth in the 2022 Kentucky Oaks (G1), and a clear runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) in the fall. The Kentucky-bred bay is two-for-two at the Spa in advance of Wednesday, and appears to be the pace of the race too. Florent Geroux, who picked up the mount on the filly last time out, will be in the silks.

#2 Frank’s Rockette (8-5) has finished in the top three in 24 of her 27 career performances to date and is showing no signs of slowing down at six for trainer Bill Mott. A huge second in the dash last campaign, the Into Mischief bay rides in on a three-race win streak and will be the main pace danger to the leading selection in this spot.

The Frank Fletcher homebred has been first or second in 12 of her 16 six-furlong dashes, and she also boasts a 4-1-3-0 mark at Saratoga. If the mare catches a flier out of the gate, then she could be the one to run down at the top of the stretch, with Junior Alvardo retaining the mount.

Grade 2 heroine #3 Maryquitecontrary (9-2) was a clear second to champion Goodnight Olive in the Madison S. (G1) at Keeneland in her initial outing for Shug McGaughey. This consistently very good filly shows an 8-6-2-0 career mark in advance of Wednesday, and the four-year-old packs the best turn of foot in the field, as well. The Florida-bred might be compromised if the pace is sensible, however, so I’ll omit her while still admiring her abilities.

Vagrancy S. (G3) second #4 Dr B (6-1) is long on talent and could be sitting on a big try after posting a solid morning move recently in preparation for her second local appearance. The Butch Reid pupil might be a notch below the other trio in the field, however, and I’ll let her beat me despite the presence of Irad Ortiz in the irons.

Honorable Miss Wagers

$30 exacta: 1 with 2 ($30)

$8 exacta: 2 with 1 ($8)