Go for Wand

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Champion GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) towers over her rivals in Saturday’s Go
for Wand H. (G1) on Saratoga’s opening weekend and appears primed to take her
third straight under Rafael Bejarano. The Bobby Frankel-trained five-year-old
has dropped just one start so far this season, running third in the Apple
Blossom H. (G1), but has since added the Louisville S. (G2) and Ogden Phipps H.
(G1) to her already stellar line. Her BRIS Speed ratings have topped the century
mark in nine of her last 10 races, and Ginger Punch will continue her quest for
a Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) title defense in this spot.

SPRING WALTZ (Silver Charm) and RUNWAY ROSIE (Include) appear to be the best
of the rest, and we’re tabbing the former to take down the place spot. The gray
mare is coming off a near two-week break here, having run fourth most recently
in the Delaware H. (G2). Prior to that one the fellow Frankel trainee racked up
four straight wins, including a 13-length allowance/optional claimer score in
her seasonal bow and a 3 1/4-length victory in the Rampart H. (G2), both coming
at Gulfstream Park while going the Go for Wand’s distance of nine furlongs.
Spring Waltz will keep Javier Castellano in the saddle.

Runway Rosie enters this one off a 4 3/4-length win in the Proud Delta S. at
Belmont Park, but didn’t do so well when facing graded rivals at Pimlico in her
previous race. So far this year at least, she appears to be more of an Aqueduct
inner track runner, but could still garner some Grade 1 credit here under Rajiv
Maragh.

COPPER STATE (Jump Start) earned a career-best 102 Speed figure when second
last out in the Obeah H. (G3) and, if she shows that same kind of form, could
surprise in the top three. The Steve Asmussen-trained bay has been training well
at Belmont in advance of this one, and will get a jockey switch to Shaun
Bridgmohan. INDESCRIBABLE (Pleasant Tap) was a well-beaten sixth in the Chicago
H. (G3) last out in her first start for new trainer Bill Mott, but captured the
Arlington Matron H. (G3) while still under the tutelage of Graham Motion before
that one. She’ll need to run back to that effort to earn a share of this one.

MOON CATCHER (Malibu Moon), winner of the last year’s Delaware Oaks (G2), was
well-beaten by Ginger Punch last out in the Ogden Phipps and we don’t see her
threatening here. Neither OVER UNDER (Seeking the Gold) nor INSIDE PASSAGE
(Tiznow) appear fast enough to keep up against these, so we can’t recommend.