2010 Forego: Entries, Post Positions and Odds

The Woodward might be the "big name" race of the day on Saturday but the Forego looks to be the most competitive of the weekend's Grade 1 action. 

Grade 1 Forego
Saratoga
7 furlongs
Three year olds and up
Purse: $250,000
Post-time: 5:14 EDT

I'll update the chart with the morning line odds when they become available.

I haven't a clue as to what direction I'm going to ultimately end up going in this race but here's a quick take on some of the thoughts that popped into my head when I went through the field the first time:

• The only time Vineyard Haven hasn't crossed the finish line first in his last seven races is when he ran in the Cigar Mile and the UAE 2000 Guineas.  He's tough at six and seven furlongs and has shown an ability to handle quick fractions on the front-end and still hold off the closers.
• Bribon (FR) has been treated with kid gloves for much of the year - he closed hard to win the True North on Belmont day back in early June and then he didn't pop up again until the Vanderbilt in early August where he finished third to the monster performance of Majesticperfection.  I still think this gelding is more suited to a mile (even with his win in the True North) so I'm not sure exactly where to spot him in this field.
• Goldolphin horses tend to win off long lay-offs much better than a lot of other stables but I don't know if Girolamo will be able to make that jump after being off since last year's Breeders' Cup.  He seems a bit over his head.
• Majesticperfection was so powerful in his Vanderbilt win that I think a horse like Big Drama can't help but look great coming out of that race.  My chief concern with this horse is how much did that race take out of him, if anything?
• Class-wise it's tough to make a case for Here Comes Ben as he just hasn't been running against this level of competition in his career.  He does love the seven furlong distance (4-3-1-0) which can be bit of a tweener for a lot of horses...perhaps he'd make an interesting exotic play.
• Seems like a tough spot for Charitable Man to make his first start against sprinting graded stakes horses. 
• On any other day, Omniscient might make an interesting play in the exotics - he's cutting back in distance from his win in the Majestic Light at Monmouth Park and if the pace were to get hot enough on the front end I could see this colt rolling into the lane late with a lot of energy.  The jockey situation, however, is a bit concerning as Calvin Borel hasn't exactly lit things up at Saratoga this summer.
• I really like Warrior's Reward in this spot, especially with Leparoux getting back in the irons after Borel replaced him when he was sidelined by injury.  That last effort in the Met Mile is a complete toss out for me as Calvin got him too involved early on (22.98 and 22.49 opening quarters).  If Leparoux can get him to settle into his usual high-23, low-24 opening fractions he should have enough in the tank to make a solid run at the leaders in the stretch.  Seven furlongs is his bread and butter distance (5-3-1-0).
• With Checklist in the race I think we can be certain that the pace is going to be swift on the front end.  This horse repeatedly runs a first quarter in the low 22s with an occasional high 21 thrown in for good measure.  He seems like an outsider to bring home win honors but he'll make sure things are moving fast in the early going.
• It looked like You and I Forever was starting to put things together down in Florida this winter as he finished 2^nd in the Grade 2 Hal's Hope and then won the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap two races later.  Since then he's fallen pretty far off form and was easily beaten by Vineyard Haven in the James Marvin Stakes at Saratoga last time out.