Saratoga Notes

- I wrote about trainers Ken McPeek and Richard Schosberg in this post on Wednesday. "I'll be keeping an eye on both." All I can say is that I hope some of you made more money than did I on Friday. McPeek took the second with Ellis Park shipper Dream Empress ($6.80), who just won the bob from Dynaslew, a Mott debut runner who had burst to the lead after a very wide trip and appeared poised to break the trainer out of his first-timer slump. Won't be long now, and it will probably be a decent price as this one, at 5.70-to-1, would have been. Dynaslew is a two-year old daughter of Dynaformer, out of the stakes winning Seattle Slew mare Slew's Final Answer. Watch her win at 3-5 next time out.

And Schosberg took the 8th race with Sunshine For Life ($30.60); that two races after his 7-1 Western Sweep missed by a neck in the 6th, amazing. I find this notion of trainers going on hot streaks to be a fascinating and, sometimes, profitable aspect of the game. I don't know whether it's just a statistical phenomenon, or if a trainer can just hit upon an effective workout routine, a nutritious bunch of carrots, some music the horses like, or......well, you know. Let's say, a very potent batch of hay, or something like that. But we definitely see these guys get hot, and earlier on is the time you can catch some prices.

On Saturday, McPeek starts Tizzy (15-1) in the 5th, a real Saratoga kinda maiden special on a real Saratoga kinda Travers day card. No doubt this is a tough race, with Mott second timer Intercoastal, who I had in his debut at 9-2, and Rogue Victory (7-2), coming off a second from far back for late-stage hot trainer George Weaver. However, both of those start from outside posts. Tizzy has shown decent enough form on turf and the Keeneland Poly to make him live for at least a share for a barn that's been live itself of late.

Schosberg starts Hammock (12-1) in the sixth. Not so much that he's facing monsters, but he is trying open company for the first time after running out of state bred conditions. He ran evenly in a tough state-bred stakes won by repeater Banrock; that race also included Pennington, who then missed by a head in a higher open allowance level than this; and R Clear Victory, second in a stakes at Canterbury Park. Kent Desormeaux, who rode this four-year old gelded son of Intidab to a three length win in his only prior assignment, picks up the mount; he's 6-for-20 riding for this barn.

And Mott, who I now have at 0-for-80 with first time starters going back almost a year, debuts Benjamin Z (8-1) in the 10th at Monmouth. This son of Johannesburg brought $950,000 as a two-year old in training in March 2007, and is just getting to the races now for Zayat. Benjamin Z is out of a Well Decorated mare who's a half to the G1 Vosburgh winner Bonapaw.

- I'm not at the Travers as you might surmise. We'll be heading back up to the Spa on Thursday morning for the duration. I will be checking out ESPN's telecast of the races today at 4:30, or at some point soon thereafter. Don't know if I'll do a "live blog" type of thang, or just a commentary later on, but I'll likely have a couple of things to say about the day's races and broadcast. Until then, good luck and have a great day!