I've got a feeling that the Saratoga 2-year-old maiden race just completed might turn out to be a live one.

National Flag, who failed at 3-5 in his debut at Belmont for trainer Todd Pletcher, made amends today by outfinishing and outmuscling Engage, a strongly bet Chad Brown firster.

The final time, after fast fractions of 22.13 and 44.99, was a solid 1:10.35.

Credit should also go to third place finisher Slot, a Pletcher-trained firster who took no money, but rallied nicely late.

By the way, this was the second dirt race of the day at Saratoga, and like the first one, it was taken by a horse who employed an outside path. This means the strong rail that was in effect on Saratoga's main track on Friday is not in play today.