Hopefully the weather cooperates in Elmont on Saturday, and the two sprint stakes stay on the grass. We have The Awad for the boys and The Stewart Manor for the girls both at six furlongs.

Ladies first. Joe Sharp doesn’t import a lot of horses from Europe. He has an interesting French-bred and raced filly from a top outfit in Yuquot. She has been competitive in Group 3 races over there and can show speed or come from off the pace. Prat rides which will hurt the price some, but I don’t think she goes off much less than the 6-1 morning line which looks fair to me. This race is wide open and there are several ways to go. This filly has shown me enough in her replays to believe she can compete here and she may appreciate a firmer course. She has seen her share of courses with plenty of giver in them in France so if it winds up that way it will not be an unfamiliar scenario for her. At 4^th or 5^th choice, which she easily can be I think she is worth a shot.

The Awad doesn’t look as wide open to me as the filly counterpart. I see three horses who can win it in my view. Just Joe, More Champagne, and Titan Ready. Tom Morley thought enough of More Champagne to go outside the box for him and send her to the group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. She was trounced that day, but I’ll give her a pass. I thought she needed the race back at Saratoga, then improved despite a traffic inside trip in The Matron. Things get interesting here as she could have run in the “other” stake against her own sex. More Champagne is a filly facing boys for the first time here. An interesting choice and I hope it is not because she is ducking any of the fillies in The Stewart manor, but this spot is easier in my view and I think for whatever reason he has, Morley made the right call.

Now let’s see if we can use The Riders Up App to build up the bankrolls in the last race at Belmont of Friday.