Saratoga: How to bet the Travers Day all-stakes Pick 5

The highlight of the Saturday card at Saratoga is undoubtedly the Travers (G1), a Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race that will award 100 qualification points to the winner.

But the “Midsummer Derby” is just one of five graded stakes on the afternoon agenda, and they’re arranged consecutively to form an all-stakes Pick 5.

Let’s dig in and play the sequence on a modest budget.

Race 7: Ballerina (G1, 3:42 p.m. ET)

The opening leg is a tough, 7-furlong sprint packed with early speed.

#1 Serengeti Empress, the game runner-up in the 2019 Test (G1) over this track and distance, might be the fastest of the frontrunners.

#7 Come Dancing won this race last year and looks like the best mid-pack closer.

#6 Pink Sands brings strong Brisnet Late Pace ratings to the equation and could benefit from a pace meltdown.

We’ll use all three to kick off the sequence.

Race 8: Troy (G3, 4:22 p.m. ET)

#1 Imprimis is 7-for-11 sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs and has been freshened since he finished sixth in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

This stretch-running, four-time stakes winner figures to enjoy a contested pace in the Troy, with the speedy but versatile stakes winner #4 Shekky Shebaz looming as his stiffest opposition.

Race 9: Waya (G3, 5:02 p.m. ET)

#4 My Sister Nat fell too far behind a slow pace in the 1 1/4-mile New York (G2) last time out, but rallied gamely down the stretch to finish second in a deceptively strong performance.

The stretch out to 1 1/2 miles shouldn’t hurt her chances, though #5 Olympic Games — the runner-up in the 1 1/2-mile River Memories S. last month — can put up a fight for hot trainer Christophe Clement and leading jockey Irad Ortiz.

Race 10: Test (G1, 5:39 p.m. ET)

#5 Gamine will be a heavy favorite, off her record-shattering win in the 1-mile Acorn (G1), but #6 Venetian Harbor arguably has more pure speed and might be better suited to sprinting 7 furlongs than her more heralded rival.

Figuring Gamine will be a single on many tickets, we’ll try to catch a larger payoff by adding Venetian Harbor to a smaller ticket.

Race 11: Travers (G1, 6:15 p.m. ET)

Three-time Grade 1 winner #6 Tiz the Law is a class standout, off his runaway win in the Belmont Stakes (G1), but the lightly raced #3 Uncle Chuck could be any kind for three-time Travers-winning trainer Bob Baffert.

We’ll use them equally to close out our tickets.

The tickets

50-cent Pick 5: 1,6,7 with 1,4 with 4,5 with 5,6 with 3,6 ($24)
50-cent Pick 5: 1,6,7 with 1,4 with 4,5 with 5 with 3,6 ($12)
Total: $36

Good luck!