(Wednesday, July 18) Saratoga is one of my favorite meets of the year. While punters at Del Mar will be scratching their heads trying to figure out how the new synthetic surface is going to be playing, we will be in our comfort zone at the Spa.

One of the most important factors in having a profitable meeting at Saratoga is knowing your trainers. We all know who the usual suspects are.

Todd Pletcher, Richard Dutrow, Bill Mott, and Steve Asmussen are going to win more than their fair share of races. At the meeting last summer, those barns finished with 56 victories (Asmussen was suspended and his assistant Scott Blasi accounted for ten wins which are included in that total).

Here are a few trainers I am going to keep a close eye on this summer:

Richard Violette: I usually like to back this barn with second timers, but I have a feeling he will score with a couple of first time starters in the next few weeks. The barn scored with three firsters at Belmont Park between June 30 and July 7. Two of those were bought at the Ocala March sale and are owned by Klaravich Stables.

I hear Violette has a few more bullets in the barn. He did score with 2 of 10 first timers at last year's meeting. The barn went 6 for 45 last summer and four of those wins were in maiden races. Garrett Gomez was aboard for all four wins.

Graham Motion: I have been saying Motion is the most underrated trainer working for about six years but nobody seems to listen. The barn went 7 for 28 here last summer and does most of his damage on turf. Over the past three years, he has 16 winners and 15 have been on the weeds.

The great thing is we usually get a decent price. His average win price over the past three seasons at the Spa is $12.

Thomas Bush: This barn was very kind to us last summer while racking up seven wins from just 23 starters (30%). The only problem is since last summer we have had a heck of a time cashing tickets on his runners.

Look for him in New York bred races, and he can even pop with a first timer. We had Shelterfromastorm at $38 at the 2005 meeting.

Tony Dutrow: Tony D. did not do us any favors last summer, going 3 for 23. He did not win his first race until August 5 with Ferocious Fire, who was coming back off a long layoff. Over the past five years, the barn is just 5 for 42 (12%) at the Spa, low by his usually lofty standards.

I am expecting to see a much better meeting here, as he is more familiar with the New York scene after spending most of his career in Maryland.

Patrick Biancone: Here is a trainer to really keep an eye on. Authorities in Kentucky snooped around his barn area, and it is being widely reported that cobra venom was found.

He had a sub par meet here last year (6 for 48, 13%) after having strong meets in previous years. In 2005, he hit at a 29% clip.

His first time starters did not perform well last summer, several at short prices. However, he has won ten baby races over the last three years.

I am going to be very leery about backing his runners at short prices until we see his horses run with some venom. Oops, I mean gusto.

Christopher Clement: Here is a barn I am likely to back at the Spa with gusto. Clement has won at a 22% clip here over the past five meets, going 34 for 158. He is always a danger in grass races, with 30 of those 34 wins coming on the weeds.

He won 8 of 37 on the grass here last summer. Don't expect to see any bombs. His average mutual last year was $8.50.

Linda Rice: The racing secretary must be Rice's best friend. The racing office over the past year has fallen in love with turf sprints. So what did Rice do? She won five turf sprints at last summer's meeting. She went 5 for 10 in turf sprints and 1 for 29 in other types of races.

While we will give her extra attention in turf sprints this year, she can win on the main track as well. She went 7 for 35 in 2005 with three of those wins coming on dirt.

Rice has really struggled with her first time starters at the Spa. She is 1 for 33 over the past five years, the lone win coming in 2003.

James Jerkens: This barn went 1 for 21 last summer and that did not agree with my bankroll as I backed a few too many of his runners.

We have had way too much success with this barn to jump off the bandwagon. Over the past five years at the Spa, he has won with 25 of 107 starters (23%). In 2005, he padded our bankroll by going 11 for 25 (44%).

He has won most of his races on dirt, just eight coming on grass. Artie Schiller won two of those.

Jerkens will bounce back with a better meeting here, and we will be along for the ride.

Barclay Tagg: We used to get decent prices on Tagg when he shipped into the Spa from Maryland and before he became a household name as the trainer of Funny Cide.

Tagg won 6 of 30 last summer. Three on turf and three on the main track.

Last summer he won three races with horses coming back off layoffs of 60, 259, and 289 days. The only problem was the biggest price of the three returned $12.00.

Tagg is just 1 for 23 with two year olds over the past five years. His strength is with New York breds and maiden special weight races. He has been very steady over the past year, hitting at a 21% clip overall, and should be right around that number at the Spa.


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