US racing tips: in-form Tom Collins bids to match last week's double at Saratoga

Great Island
11.11 Saratoga
1pt win

Max Player
11.46 Saratoga
2pts win

Saratoga's exceptional eight-week summer meet comes to an end on Monday and the New York venue certainly isn't going out with a whimper with two Grade 1s set to close Saturday's card.

The feature is the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (11.46), in which last year's hero Happy Saver will try to retain his crown for trainer Todd Pletcher. He hasn't performed to the same level this season though and I'm more than happy to oppose him at the likely odds.

Although the well-drawn Forza Di Oro is respected on his first start at the top level, the vote goes to the Steve Asmussen-trained Max Player, a son of 2015 Whitney Stakes winner Honor Code.

Third in last season's Belmont and Travers, Max Player holds a considerable experience edge over his chief rivals in terms of races run and prior efforts in Grade 1s, and he bounced right back to his best when posting a big speed figure in the Grade 2 Suburban Stakes last time out.

Ridden more aggressively than we've seen before, Max Player relished the 1m2f trip and fended off the aforementioned Happy Saver and Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide with gritty determination.

There isn't much pace forecast in this running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup and a similarly forward ride could see him follow up under Ricardo Santana.

War Like Goddess will take all the beating in the preceding $600,000 Flower Bowl Stakes (11.11), but she's going to go off a short price and it looks a race to try and find value elsewhere.

That comes in the form of Great Island, a well-bred daughter of Scat Daddy from the all-conquering Chad Brown yard. She's yet to run in New York but brings strong Gulfstream form to the table and produced a mouthwatering late burst to win the Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth last time.

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