Not a great group, but an interesting race. Here's the post positions and morning lines:

1 Tale of Ekati - Barclay Tagg - Edgar Prado - 20-1

2 Colonel John - Eoin Harty - Garrett Gomez - 8-1

3 Da' Tara - Nick Zito - Alan Garcia - 8-1

4 Tizbig - Allen Jerkens - Cornelio Velasquez - 30-1

5 Macho Again - Dallas Stewart - Julien Leparoux - 6-1

6 Cool Coal Man - Nick Zito - John Velazquez - 15-1

7 Amped - Nick Zito - Jorge Chavez - 30-1

8 Harlem Rocker - Todd Pletcher - Eibar Coa - 4-1

9 Mambo in Seattle - Neil Howard - Robby Albarado - 5-1

10 Tres Borrachos - Beau Greely - Tyler Baze - 15-1

11 Pyro - Steve Asmussen - Shaun Bridgmohan - 7-2

12 Court Vision - Bill Mott - Kent Desormeaux - 12-1


Tale of Ekati has been a moneyburner, but he won't go off as high as 20-1. I like Macho Again as a horse, and Jim Dandy winners have come back to win the Travers in each of the last three years, but I don't think you get 6-1 for him.

Don't think he gets it here though. If the track is fast, I'm hitching my hopes, for the last time, on Colonel John. I'm giving him one last chance. If it's sloppy, Tale of Ekati from the inside.

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Fire Phil Emery

I am starting to wonder if Colonel John is a synthetic horse only. This weekend should help prove it one way or the other.

The horse I am intrigued by is Mambo in Seattle. I know he hasn't beaten much but he ran a better race on Jim Dandy day than Macho Again. His breeding screams classic distance. He seems to be getting better after having a bone chip that knocked him off the Derby trail.

I think Mambo is as good here as any, but I think he comes down from 5-1. I think you'll get a better price on Pyro than 7-2, but I'd avoid him from the 11 post, and I don't think he loves the distance. Harlem Rocker will be overbet.

Like you said, Colonel John might be a synthetic-only horse. I really have no idea. He kinda sucked on the synthetics last time out in the Swaps. But he was the second choice in the Derby, and I thought his effort there wasn't terrible; he did beat Pyro. OK, maybe I'm looking for excuses, but like I said, it's one last shot.

I've said this for every race since the Derby, but Ekati has the physical makeup and the breeding to really take to the slop in a way none of the other horses will. It's been raining pretty much every day at Saratoga since the open, so if that holds true on Saturday, TofE is worth a play at big odds as well.

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Fire Phil Emery

Hey, even a broken watch is right twice a day; too bad he was bet down a bit. Have to stop by the OTB tomorrow to cash. Woo hoo!

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Fire Phil Emery

I guess we were both on to something, boxed the exacta for time and a half.

Nice on the exacta; that race is 9.99 or 10.01 furlongs and Mambo in Seattle wins it. Of course, my handicapping told me that.

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Fire Phil Emery

Ha! Colonel John improved off that Swaps effort as I expected (didn;t we have that debate in here?) Mambo was better than I thought. He's gritty.

Mambo might indeed be better; he's matured nicely as the year has gone on. Both had less than easy trips. Let's see if they both go back to Santa Anita for the BC Classic.

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Fire Phil Emery

Colonel John is guaranteed. Mambo on the other hand has some work to do to qualify.