Three dirt races are in the books on this Friday here at Saratoga (and four races overall), and while there does not appear to be a strong track bias of any sort, I do think you want to be at least close early today in main track races.

Big Mara went wire to wire from the 1 hole in the opener and dominated, but she was a big class dropper and, at a $4.80 mutuel, was expected to win. And the results were formful in the second race as Noneedtoflatterme ($5.40) won after stalking from close range over Lightning Buzz, who disputed the pace.

But it was the fourth race, in combination with the first two races, that gave me the sense the Saratoga main track might be kind to speed today. Driving Me Crazy, not known as the most courageous horse ever, pressed Gambler’s Ghost’s pace and then ran away  through the stretch to romp. And at $12.60 in a very competitive field, he was not a widely expected winner.