Saginaw goes for 11th win in Alex M. Robb

Saginaw goes for 11th win in Alex M.

Robb

Saginaw, the winningest horse on the New York Racing

Association circuit this year, looks to notch victory No. 11 and become

the winningest horse in North America on December 26 when he faces four other

New York-breds in the $75,000 Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The six-year-old gelding gained his 10th win of 2012 against

open company in the Gravesend Handicap on December 12 at the Big A, moving into

a tie with Clean Jean and Winning Dubai for the most victories in North America.

The son of Peruvian has been first or second in all but two of his 13 starts at

Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course this year, one being a fourth in

a claiming race in his 2012 debut and the other a sixth-place finish in the

Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap in May.

Claimed for $30,000 by David Jacobson and Drawing Away

Stable in March, Saginaw won a starter handicap and an optional claimer for his

new connections before going on to win the Carr Heaven, Affirmed Success, John

Morrissey, Promenade All and Fourstars Allstar Stakes for state-breds. For the

year, he is 10-1-0 with earnings of $507,650.

Junior Alvarado will ride Saginaw, high weight under 121

pounds and the even-money favorite on the morning line, from post 5.

Challenging Saginaw in the 1 1/16-mile Alex M. Robb will be

Bill Parcells' Saratoga Snacks, who suffered his first loss this year when

finishing a game second to Lunar Victory in the

on October 20 Empire Classic at Belmont, his stakes debut. The three-year-old Tale of the Cat ridgling, who has won a pair of allowance races and an optional claimer, was to

have run back in the Grade 3 Discovery but missed the race because of a foot

bruise, according to trainer Gary Sciacca.

"He's doing really, really well," said Sciacca of Saratoga

Snacks, who drew post position 2 and is listed at 6-5 on the morning line. "I expect him to

run a big race. The distance shouldn't be a problem."

Ramon Dominguez, the two-time Eclipse Award winning jockey

who leads the nation with more than $25.1 million in purses earned, returns

aboard Saratoga Snacks after a month off to recover from his own bruised foot.

Idle American, who is 3-2-1 from eight starts at the Big A,

returns to state-bred company and conventional dirt after a sixth-place finish

on the turf earlier this month. The gelded son of Quiet American drew post

3 with Eddie Castro aboard.

Rounding out the field are Social Saul, most recently sixth

behind Saginaw in the Promenade All, and Swag Daddy, returning to action after

finishing sixth in the Mike Lee in June at Belmont.

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com