Riskaverse play Thursday at Saratoga

It’s Travers Week at the Spa and Thursday’s 10-race program includes the $100,000 Riskaverse, a one-mile restricted stakes on turf for three-year-old fillies.

I like Sweet Sting (#8).

A daughter of turf champion Perfect Sting and a half-sister to graded turf winner Smart Sting, Sweet Sting is trained by Jimmy Jerkens, who is presently orchestrating the hottest barn on the grounds outside of Chad Brown.

After beginning the meet zero-for-13, Jerkens has everything lined up properly for the final two weeks of the meet. It started last Thursday when he captured both starts and the Jerkens stable has won five-of-six entering Thursday.

Sweet Sing appears to be sitting on a win Thursday.

A maiden scorer when making her 2018 debut at Gulfstream Park in early February, the Awesome Again filly followed with a close fourth in an entry-level allowance to Camila Princess, who came back to win the Honey Ryder as the favorite in her next outing.

Sweet Sting jumped to stakes company for her second start against winners and stumbled badly leaving the starting gate of the April 22 Memories of Silver at Aqueduct. She overcome the disastrous start with a solid third to Significant Form and earned a freshening afterwards, returning two months later with a rallying second to La Moneda, who came right back to crush allowance rivals at Saratoga as the even-money favorite.

Sweet Sting has faced stiff company in all three starts since breaking her maiden and performed admirably, making up ground through the final furlongs every time. She’s going to be finishing fastest of all Thursday and I like seeing a hot-riding Manny Franco, who really came on last week with six wins to move ahead of John Velazquez and Luis Saez in the jockey standings, back in the saddle aboard the improving filly.

An appealing 5-1 on the morning line, Sweet Sting will be played straight if the price is right and keyed in horizontal wagers.

Travers Day Handicapping Seminar

Join me at the Saratoga Trackside Grill Saturday morning (103 Wright St., one block from Clubhouse Entrance) for a Travers Day Handicapping Seminar starting at 10 a.m. ET (90 minutes prior to post time).  I’ll analyze the entire card and all in attendance will receive a free Winner’s Choice tipsheet from Brisnet.com. And we’ll have a promo code for a free $10 Bet for opening a new TwinSpires account!