Drefong, last year’s champion sprinter didn’t exactly begin 2017 as planned. He ducked the gap in the Bing Crosby at Del Mar unseating his rider Mike Smith. Drefong now tries to regain his reputation as one of the best sprinters in the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Saturday.
Things look like they set up well for Drefong. He drew the 10 post and is widest in the field so no rail issues on Saturday. He also has a strong pace advantage over his 9 foes to his inside as he appears to be on the lead by himself with magic Mike Smith at the controls.
Having won at Saratoga last year won’t hurt but also won’t help as much as it would have in previous years. This is a brand new Saratoga surface and it plays quite differently than the old one. Nonetheless Drefong looks to be potentially long gone on paper.
There are no free squares in this game, and it would be nice to beat Drefong in the multi-race wagers, but he looks a solid 4-5 considering the pace projection. Last year we were all over Drefong on Travers Day in the Kings Bishop and doubled up with Arrogate in the Travers calling it Baffert’s revenge.
Will it be Deja Vu all over again? The Forego shouldn’t pose the problem if the track is playing fair or speed friendly.
