The Alabama Stakes 2024
The Alabama is in my view one of the more exciting races of the Saratoga meet. This year I think the race came up competitive and even with Thorpedo Anna opting for The Travers against males we have a good field and a potentially vulnerable favorite.
Intricate goes from the rail. She was very good at two but has yet to equal or surpass that juvenile form. The mile and a quarter should help her and not having Thorpedo Anna in front of her should also. I think she likely gets a piece, but I am going somewhere else for the win.
I like Chatalas in here. I think she will get the lead into the first turn, save ground and prove tough to reel in. I expect her to go forward off the Indiana Oaks which was her first race back at three-years old and this filly can fight when she must. I will look for her to try and go wire to wire.
Power Squeeze is capable of a big race, but she is not consistent enough for me to back here and I am not sure she is quite up to this even with one of her better races. The pace set up I envision does her no favors either.
Just Basking seems to have turned the corner at the right time. She’d need another step forward to win and she is another not helped by the pace I see playing out.
America’s Vow looks to be in very deep waters.
Miss Justify is intriguing and I may like her better than the other Pletcher entry, likely favorite Candied. This filly should like the added ground and will be sitting in a garden spot. She is dangerous.
Candies as aforementioned likely goes favored here. She can win for sure, but she doesn’t look all that much better than a few in here including the filly I landed on and even the other Pletcher who personally I lean to more. We’ll see but I see her as vulnerable.
Neon Icon is the long shot with a shot in my book. Maybe she didn’t like Indiana or maybe those two wins out of the box took a little toll on her, but I think she can bounce back with a good race and even make a nice forward move.
I’ll be riding on Chatalas trying to take them all the way. If the pace plays out as I think and Frankie rides aggressively, she should be clear heading into the backstretch and speed is always dangerous.
For a lot more on The Alabama, The Lake Placid and even The Travers, check out this week’s Saratoga Saturday. This week was a great show!
Saratoga Saturday, week 5 The Alabama brought to you by AmWager
