Horse racing continues to take place daily during the coronavirus pandemic, and on Sunday the Todd Pletcher-trained Moretti will try to win for the fourth time in his career when he leaves the starting gate in the 2020 Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. This 4-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro has three wins, four seconds and one third in 10 career starts. He is the 8-5 morning-line favorite in the Birdstone, a rare 1 3/4-mile dirt race that drew seven entrants.
The race is the third leg of the late Pick 4, which requires a bettor to pick the winner of four consecutive races. The four-race sequence begins with Race 7 at 4:40 p.m. ET and ends with Race 10. Racing insider and Saratoga expert Bob Weir, who hit the late Pick 4 at Del Mar on Saturday, has handicapped each of the races in the Pick 4, and with the sequence featuring competitive fields, you'll want to see his horse racing predictions and best bets before making any late Pick 4 selections at Saratoga for Sunday, Aug. 2.
Based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Weir has been handicapping and following horse racing since reading Andy Beyer's landmark handicapping book "Picking Winners" in the late 1980s. Weir is highly invested in the Beyer Speed Figure, a number assigned to every race run by a horse that measures how fast the horse ran. He uses the figure as the backbone of his handicapping. In fact, thanks to his proficiency with speed figures and top-tier handicapping, he landed one of just eight spots on Beyer's figure-making team in 2017, a position he holds to this day.
Weir's methodology has produced multiple five-figure days. In 2014, he hit a $60,000 Pick 6 at Del Mar. The following year, he nailed a $31,000 Pick 6 at Gulfstream Park. In 2016 and 2017, Weir qualified for the prestigious National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas.
He's currently riding a hot streak on his horse racing picks for SportsLine. In January he crushed the Pegasus World Cup, giving out an $8 exacta and a $1 trifecta, winning $757.60. He nailed the late Pick 4 at Gulfstream Park on both April 9 and April 10, hitting for $827.65 and $394.65. On June 13 Weir hit a $2 superfecta in the Ogden Phipps Stakes that paid a whopping $1,039. And he hit the late Pick 4 at Belmont Park on June 18, June 19, June 25, July 2 and July 5 with the June 25 score returning a whopping $2,159.50. Those are just some of his hits this year.
Now, Weir has handicapped the late Pick 4 at Saratoga for Sunday, Aug. 2, made his picks and constructed his tickets. Head to SportsLine to see his best bets.
Top Saratoga Pick 4 predictions for August 2
Weir is high on Fort Worth, the 8-5 favorite in Race 8, the second leg of the Pick 4. This 4-year-old son of City Zip is trained by Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr. He has started just twice, finishing third in his debut in February 2019 and then winning his second start in April 2019.
Fort Worth has been working regularly for his return, so Weir is not concerned about the extended layoff. "He's clearly the most talented horse in the race," Weir tells SportsLine.
Weir also is high on Dowse's Beach, the 3-1 favorite in Race 7. This hard-knocking 9-year-old has 13 wins, five seconds and four thirds in 42 career starts. He is coming off a seventh-place finish on July 19.
In that race, he encountered major traffic trouble, so Weir is forgiving him for that performance. "He loves Saratoga, and trainer Mike Maker bringing him right back is a good sign," Weir said.
How to make Saratoga picks for August 2
In addition, Weir is high on a double-digit long shot on Sunday. Weir says this horse "is working forwardly" and could light up the toteboard and spice up the Pick 4. He's sharing his Pick 4 grid only at SportsLine.
How has Weir structured his Pick 4 ticket for Sunday? And which long shot can win at a big price? Visit SportsLine to see Weir's selections for the late Pick 4 at Saratoga on Sunday, and find out.
