Saratoga Racing Tips: Pletcher to unveil another debut winner

Saratoga 20:20: Pure Pauline 1pt win at 5/2 or better

I couldn't let today's column pass without commenting on what we saw from Flightline in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar in the early hours of Sunday morning.

His effortless destruction of this year's Dubai World Cup winner by the best part of 20 lengths was truly a sight to behold and Timeform reacted by giving him a rating of 143 - a figure bettered only by the incomparable Frankel in the modern era.

To do what Flightline has done for one with such a limited amount of experience is nothing short of astonishing and we were dangled a teasing carrot by connections after the race who mooted the possibility of him staying in training next season.

For me, I suspect that's highly unlikely, and the Breeders' Cup Classic will probably be his swansong.

Now that will be something worth travelling a long way to see!

On to today's action, and the maiden special weight contest that goes as race 6 on Saratoga's card features a number of lightly raced fillies who are open to improvement, though I'm siding with a debutante who has the potential to be a good one.

Todd Pletcher has unleashed several exciting juveniles to win on debut at this Saratoga meet and I'm hoping he can repeat the trick with Pure Pauline.

This daughter of Curlin is out of a mare who was a Grade 2 winner over 9f, so she should be perfectly at home debuting over today's 7f trip, while her workouts have suggested that she'll be more comfortable making her bow at this sort of distance than in a sprint.

With Pletcher's go-to jockey Irad Ortiz taking the ride, Pure Pauline should take plenty of stopping at first asking.