Juveniles to watch Saturday at Saratoga

Saratoga will host four two-year-old events on their 11-race Saturday card. I always have a keen eye on the baby races at the Spa in hopes of witnessing the stars of tomorrow and here are some first-time starters of interest to me:

Race 2

A pair of seven-furlong tilts will be offered and eight youngsters are set for the first division.

#2 LAUGHING FOX brought $375,000 at OBS March and could be a runner. Ron Moquett trainee is the first foal out of the stakes-winning Saskawea and the chestnut hasn’t missed a morning work since May. Laughing Fox gets the rail at first asking.

#4 CHIEF EXECUTIVE is training steadily with purpose, including a fine :48 3/5 gate drill on the Oklahoma most recently. Todd Pletcher pupil will surely be fit and ready and WinStar homebred is from a speedy family. His dam is kin to Grade-2 winning sprinter Master of Disaster.

#7 BAFFIN BAY is the second from the Pletcher barn. $250,000 Pioneer of the Nile colt is a half-brother to Raucous, who was a stakes heroine at two last season. Javier Castellano will guide the dark bay colt.

#8 EXCHEQUER is a half-brother to the precocious Seahenge, who won the Champagne S. (Eng-G2) and finished second in the Dewhurst (Eng-G1) in 2017 for Aidan O’Brien. The Steve Asmussen-trained gray has been in Saratoga since early July and this barn has been very sharp with its juveniles of late.

Race 6

Nine juveniles will contest the second division.  

#4 CHASE AND COLORADO has not missed a beat in his preparations since the middle of May and will be fit and ready. His :48 3/5 gate drill on the Oklahoma two prior stands out to me.

Pletcher pupil is a half-brother to juvenile stakes vixen Create A Dream, who was best in the 2016 Chelsea Flower S.

#7 EMPIRE OF WAR gives Pletcher yet another well-bred juvenile to saddle on Saturday. This two-year-old counts himself a half-brother to two-time Grade-1 victress Seperationofpowers, who took the 2017 Frizette (G1) and was a game winner of the Test S. (G1) last Saturday.

By Declaration of War, Empire of War came up later than some of the others from Palm Beach Downs, though he shows four works on the Oklahoma for his debut.

#8 A THREAD OF BLUE brought a hefty $430,000 at OBS March. Hard Spun colt will debut for Kiaran McLaughlin and shows a pair of strong main-track moves of late.

March foal is a half- brother to Norman Invader, who was an Irish Group-3 winner at age 2.