Biancone Has the Favorite

Trainer Patrick Biancone, with one 2-year-old stakes victory at Saratoga, will try for No. 2 in the $150,000 Saratoga Special today.

Three weeks after Whywhywhy rallied from well off the pace to win the Sanford, Zavata, generally considered the better of the two talented colts, will be favored to win the Special, a Grade II at 6 1/2 furlongs.

The son of Phone Trick, who was purchased by Michael Tabor for $575,000 at a sale in February, has won two of three, including the Tremont at Belmont Park on June 29.

Prepping for the seven-furlong Hopeful, Zavata will leave from the outside post and will be ridden by Jerry Bailey, who has won six stakes at Saratoga.

The colt Zavata most has to fear is Lone Star Sky. A son of Conquistador Cielo owned by Walter New and trained by Tom Amoss, Lone Star Sky is perfect in two starts. He won by slightly more than two lengths in his bow at Arlington Park on June 13, then went to Kentucky and won the Bashford Manor, a Grade II, by 3 1/2 lengths. Mark Guidry, who rode him in the victory at Churchill Downs, has the mount.

The other entrants are Desert Warrior, who will be a first-time Lasix user for trainer Wayne Lukas; Spite The Devil, a Devil His Due gelding who has won one of two for trainer Allen Jerkens, and Awesome Of Course, an upset winner at nearly 10-1 over a muddy track in his first start at Saratoga on Aug. 1.

Race of the day: Reine De Romance is the 120-pound high weight in Del Mar’s feature, the $75,000 Osunitas Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. Opponents include Noches de Rosa, a Chilean-bred making her U.S. debut for trainer Richard Mandella, and L’Emeraude, who earned her first win in this country June 28 at Hollywood Park.

Who’s hot: Tom Heard Jr. Thanks to Lawbook’s victory in the $75,000 Dr. Fager division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Saturday at Calder, Heard, 84, has trained a stakes winner in eight consecutive decades. He had his first stakes winner, Be Blue, in 1938.

Who’s not: Mike Luzzi. The jockey began Saratoga two for 44.

Exotically speaking: A pick four using Steamy Dreams, Poly Ole and Seamstress in the fifth, singling Blind Ambition in the sixth, using Reine De Romance, Noches De Rosa and L’Emeraude in the seventh, and Fourth And Long, Mr. Machine and Wisdom’s Mark in the eighth.

Winners: Previous day/meet total: 1/38. Money: Previous day/meet total: $4.80/$216.60. Total money bet: $308.