SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Gunite was 11-1 when he won the Grade 1 Hopeful here at 2 and 7-1 when he took the Grade 2 Amsterdam at age 3. While he doesn’t figure to be anywhere near those prices Saturday, he likely won’t be favored when he faces reigning sprint champion Elite Power in the Grade 1, $350,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt for male sprinters at six furlongs. Gunite is following the path established by his sire Gun Runner in that he seems better and faster at age 4 than he was earlier in his career. Gunite’s stablemate Echo Zulu also demonstrated that trait in her victory in Wednesday’s Grade 3 Honorable Miss Handicap here. Gunite, in two sprint stakes victories in the United States this year, has shaded 1:09 for six furlongs in winning the King Cotton at Oaklawn in January and, most recently, the listed $224,000 Aristides Stakes at Churchill Downs. In between, Gunite finished second to Elite Power in the Grade 3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia and third to Sibelius in the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan. “He’s faster now than he was before,” said Steve Asmussen, who trains Gunite for Winchell Thoroughbreds. “If anything, I think we get another step forward Saturday.” :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. In addition to his pair of graded stakes wins at Saratoga, Gunite has finished second in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in 2021 and second in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens last summer. “Gunite has run some of his best races here at Saratoga and he has met top-class opposition his entire career,” Asmussen said. “I expect him to be up to the task.” Tyler Gaffalione rides Gunite from post 5 in this seven-horse field. Elite Power has been up to the task in each of his last seven races, winning all of them. That included victories in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint last November, and, most recently, the Grade 2 True North on June 10 at Belmont Park. Bill Mott, the trainer of Elite Power, felt the horse was about 80 percent going into the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and the True North, his only two starts this year that came 75 days apart. “We got what we thought was enough in him and he ran well both times,” Mott said. “I don’t know that he had to be any better than what he’s been the last three races.” Mott said Elite Power is not a horse who wows observers in the morning “but I think the result of his races are a reflection that he’s better” than last year, Mott said. Mott celebrates his 70th birthday on Saturday. Mott has won a race at Saratoga 17 times in the last 26 years when there’s been racing on his birthday. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Elite Power from post 4. Both Gunite and Elite Power would figure to benefit from the apparent speed that seems to be in this field. Awesome Aaron, who gets 10 pounds from Elite Power and eight from Gunite, figures to try and make the lead under Dylan Davis. Dean Delivers and Little Vic have both have been successful from a forward position but also have been successful stalking. Dean Delivers, trained by Michael Yates, won the Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park last out in gate-to-wire fashion, though he stalked in winning the Big Drama before that. Little Vic’s best performance came when he stalked the pace in taking the Grade 3 Tom Fool in March at Aqueduct. Carlos Olivero rides Little Vic from post 7 for trainer Juan Carlos Avila. Gun It, a recent winner of a third-level allowance on June 22 at Belmont goes out for Saratoga’s leading trainer, Linda Rice. Synthesis, second in the Grade 2 John Nerud at 20-1, goes out for David Jacobson. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.