Race 1 3-4-7 Continue reading Saratoga August 20
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Saratoga August 19
Race 2 3-9-4
Forever in Love was a $210K purchase this spring. Has an abbreviated set of works but the last one suggests readiness. Governor Malibu goes for the excellent pairing of Clement/Rosario. He’s by the prolific sire Malibu Moon and the works look like typical Clement. The Undersheriff looked good first time out and shouldn’t have trouble negotiating the extra sixteenth.
Race 3 4-2-1
Simple Surprise looked good winning a sloppy MSW at CD and has a decent work on the turf five days ago. Bruised Orange was well enough thought of by Wesley Ward to earn a start at Royal Ascot. She finished 12th of 20 but did show some speed in that affair. Ward/Hernandez is 25%. Celestial Sighting already has a win on the SAR turf. Has to avoid getting buried on the rail.
Race 4 12-3-11-2
Bargaining Table has the best figure but is breaking from the far outside. Has shown enough speed in the past to potentially get position. Asperites was 0 for 15 in 2014 but since moving to the states is 1 for 3. She’s making a big drop from her last to the level where she won. Lemon Song was claimed last out by Phil Serpe who is 21% first time back. Rhythm Queen is a useful turf runner with the figures to compete here.
Race 5 1-4-10-7
Light Brigade was a $240K purchase at the Keeland September sale and goes for the excellent combination of Chad Brown/Castellano. Boalt Hall is the Pletcher/Velasquez contribution. Workouts look good. Jan’s Reserve has to overcome the outside post. Her two starts suggest some talent and she adds the blinkers today. Manhattan Dan improved markedly on the turf and cuts back half a furlong.
Race 6 7-8-4
Don Dulce was taken last out by Bruce Levine who is a good 24% off the claim. Has a win at SAR and is 4 of 9 in the money at the distance. Hereditary has two wins and a second in three races in 2015. Lots of time between starts, but the workout pattern has been steady. Noble Moon has been no match for graded stakes company, but should be competitive in this group.
Race 7 1-7-9-10
Get Jets was a $300K purchase this spring. The works look good and Dutrow/Ortiz are a 29% combo. Love That Jazz was bumped in the stretch and backed out of the Rockville Center. He’s far more competitive here. Core Portfolio goes for Violette who is 34% with his first timers. Fish Trappe Road has plenty of speed and seems to be improving.
Race 8 8-1-5
Tizallheart was one of the horses that suffered when Manny Franco fell off The Ghost Bride. His previous two races put him right in the mix here. The Ghost Bride looked like he was making the winning move when Franco fell off. No reason to expect less of an effort today. Sylvia T avoided the worst of the trouble and managed to finish third in that race. Similar field, this time I expect the jockeys to stay on.
Race 9 8-5-3-2
Trophee took a while to break her maiden but looked good in her first with winners. Versatile running style. Lahinch Classics looked good at this level last out and should improve this time. Rock Me Mama fits better at this level than the graded stakes she was in the last time. Blonkers go on today. Gotachancetodance hasn’t run a bad one yet and appears to be on the improve.
Race 10 10-4-7
Street Swagg comes in from FL where he had been doing well with state-bred allowance horses. Should be a speed factor. Wild Finish was claimed two back by Sciacca who jumped him to this level. He stays at the same level today and at 12-1 ML has some interest for me. Jeter is good at the distance and has a second in two starts at SAR.
HBPA Meeting August 8
I had the unique privilege of being the first horseplayer ever invited to be on a panel at the national HBPA meeting held this year in Denver August 7-9.
The medication and drug panel was chaired by Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida HBPA, who spoke about the potential federal legislation. The HBPA’s general opposition to Federal drug legislation is not an opposition to drug testing, which HBPA fully supports. The issue mainly revolves around trying to use federal legislation to ban the use of Lasix on raceday.
There is a vocal group of horsemen, including the well known manager of Team Valor, Barry Irwin, who are convinced that the use of Lasix gives racing a black eye. As I have mentioned before, drug use or the perception of drug use is often cited as a prime reason why the sport is in continual decline, despite RCI statistics that show less than one half of one percent all post race tests return a positive, and that the vast majority of those positives are for approved therapeutics. Less than 50 positives out of over 324,000 tests are for Class 1 or 2 substances.
The unmistakeable conclusion is that horseracing does not have an out of control drug problem nor is the existing system breaking down. Given the statistics, how can the federal legislation be about anything other than banning raceday Lasix?
Stirling cited a survey that has been conducted in Florida in which 90% of the horsemen (owners and trainers) favor the use of Lasix. The point is that there is a chasm between the anti and pro Lasix crowds, and trying to force a solution through federal legislation is only going to reinforce the divisions. There is a right way to do this, and it involves the industry working toward consensus.
The Lasix issue must be resolved soon. First, it is a boogeyman that keeps racing from addressing the real issues of why fans are abandoning the game. It is not as simple as no Lasix on raceday, and I guarantee that if Lasix was banned tomorrow racing problems would at the least continue, and most likely intensify. There are alternatives to Lasix, some of which are very much worse. It’s not about the Lasix.
The other panel members were Dr. Thomas Tobin, from the Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky, Dr. Clara Fenger, head of the North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians, and Dr. Steven Barker, recently retired from Louisiana State University. All three are highly respected within the industry, and their knowledge and expertise on drug and medication issues is unquestionably superb. It was humbling to be mentioned in the same breath as these industry giants.
I’ll be writing in more detail about the presentations from the other three panelists in a future blog, but I wanted to relate two important points that Dr. Barker made.
- Of the 26 standards for approved medication, 19 are NOT based on scientific study. This is, in my opinion, a horrifying bit of information.
- The emergence of technology that can measure picograms (trillionths of a gram) and femtograms (quadrillionths of a gram) render the adoption of zero tolerance standards ridiculous.
I’ve talked about how a picogram can be viewed for perspective. Imagine a trainer receiving a positive at 49 picograms and relating that to time. 49 seconds is the amount of time that has elapsed since I began writing this paragraph. A trillion seconds is over 31,000 years, a time when man’s ancestors were scribbling on cave walls. If you related it to weight, a trillion pounds would be (about) the combined weight of every person on the face of the earth, and 49 pounds would be the equivalent of finding one four year old boy somewhere in that mass of humanity.
The point Dr. Barker was making was that trainers are receiving punishment for levels that cannot possibly have any impact on performance. Moreover, such miniscule levels are often more representative of environmental contamination rather than drug administration.
The scarier point is, how can racing tolerate standards that are what those in the standard setting business call “WAGs” (wild ass guesses).
My presentation focused on four topics.
- knowledge of and perspective on drug issues on the part of horseplayers;
- setting standards to ban therapeutics;
- absence of thorough investigations;
- punishment out of proportion to violations.
With regard to knowledge and perspective on drug issues, in my experience, most horseplayers have limited familiarity and knowledge of the 26 allowable medications, with the exception of Lasix and some of the NSAIDs (bute and banamine). This often translates into equating violations of therapeutic standards with violations of performance enhancing drugs. This generally leads to the reaction, another trainer trying to gain an advantage got caught.
This lack of understanding also leads to some apathy about the actual details of violations. Horseplayers don’t see the violation in relation to the measurement unit – picograms. It’s a violation regardless of the mount, and often the attitude is, you knew the rules, you broke them, pay the penalty.
I also pointed out that groups like WHOA (water, hay, oats alliance) have made significant inroads, and many players believe Lasix is performance enhancing beyond improvement of EIPH. The problem, of course, is that there have not been specific studies done to quantify any improvement associated with Lasix.
I also suggested that many players cannot always attribute substantial improvement associated with a trainer change with differences in the horsemanship of the respective trainers. It is not uncommon for horseplayers to suspect trainers that improve a horse significantly after a claim of something more magical.
Finally, I pointed out that many players believe there are substances that are undetectable by current technology and that there are trainers not unwilling to use them.
On the other topics I referenced articles I have already published. Setting standards to ban therapeutics was part of the Bill Brashears article. (halveyonhorseracing/?p=1351). Absence of thorough investigations referenced the articles on Kellyn Gorder (halveyonhorseracing/?p=1587) and Chris Grove (halveyonhorseracing/?p=1742). Finally, for punishments out of proportion to the violation, I discussed the case of Mike Norris in Indiana (halveyonhorseracing/?p=1842)
I finished with a series of recommendations:
- Horsemen need to approach state legislatures to provide racing commissions with greater guidance. Right now the commissions have total discretion over the adoption of racing rules, and this has led to many of the problems I cited. They do not often do investigations, and if they do they are often poorly done. In the case of Chris Grove, shouldn’t the most important question to answer have been, where did the nikethamide come from? Shouldn’t the tracks think it important to know who might be a meth user having contact with the horses? Did state legislatures mean to give racing commissions the power to treat felonies like misdemeanors and vice versa?
- Given the poor timing of lab results from some of the testing facilities, shouldn’t some violations that occur for the same substance but before the trainer is notified of the first positive be automatically combined into one violation? This might not apply to Class 1 or 2 substances, but certainly for Class 4 or 5 substances.
- There should be de minimis levels for substances where environmental contamination is the most likely explanation for a positive. ARCI is already looking at this issue. You simply cannot have zero tolerance standards when such contaminations are not that uncommon.
- There should be an absolute right to be represented by counsel and the HBPA rep in any meeting with regulators. I have heard a number of stories where trainers were required to attend a meeting regarding a violation but were not allowed to bring counsel.
- Records should be expunged after five years for minor and administrative violations. When New York decided to suspend Dick Dutrow for 10 years, the press release made him sound like a serial abuser, except almost all of the 80 violations that were cited were for things like “failure to have foal papers on file,” “late to the paddock,” and “failure to have the proper colors.” These are really the equivalent of parking tickets and overstate the serial nature of a trainer’s transgressions.
- There should be standards that include both threshold levels AND withdrawal times for certain Class 3. 4. and 5 approved therapeutic substances.
I will continue my work to make racing fairer AND cleaner through this blog. For now, I want to thank the HBPA for the opportunity to provide my insight into medication standards.
Saratoga August 17
Just another low key Monday. I’ll be playing cautiously today.
Race 2 1/1A-6-4
Race 3 2-8-3
Race 4 2-9-4
Race 5 4-3-9
Race 6 6-7-5
Race 7 4-7-5
Race 8 9-5-8
Race 9 10-1-8-5
Race 10 6-7-4
Saratoga August 16
Just the numbers today. All selections are for a fast track and turf races on.
Race 1 1-6-7
Race 2 2-7-3
Race 3 7-5-4
Race 4 10-4-8-1
Race 5 5-4-10-1
Race 6 3-8-10-2
Race 7 7-4-3
Race 8 4-2-10
Race 9 5-1-4
Race 10 10-5-8-7
Saratoga August 15
Race 1 5-1-6
Metal Magic missed by a nose in June at CD and is the best of the horses that have started. Donegal Moon goes for Pleltcher/Castellano and has a quick workout at the Spa only five days ago. Blameiton Brooklyn has a nice workout pattern and looks ready to go. Well bred for the distance.
Race 2 8-9-1
Adirondack Dancer has not run a bad one in 2015 but is still searching for a win. Does have a win at SAR. Branded Hand comes here from Kentucky where he was competitive at today’s level. Figures say he belongs. Speeding Comet had trouble at the start last out but before that ran well with NW1X.
Race 3 6-1-5
The Great Whiteway puts blinkers on and adds Lasix after being steadied at the start and losing all chance last out. Should prefer getting off the rail. Iron in the Fire has two seconds, one on the dirt and one on the turf. Looks better bred for the dirt. Ward/Hernandez a 25% combo. Dalmore switches back to the dirt after showing speed and fade in a turf route. Looks like one of the pace prompters.
Race 4 7-4-5
Just Wicked already has a win at SAR and looks well suited for the six furlong distance. Decked Out has already run in two graded stakes and has experience at the distance. Tonasah goes for Pletcher. She destroyed a field at BEL in June and has been working steadily for her return.
Race 5 7-3-6
Brickyard Kitten has a second and a third at SAR. The last race wasn’t much but prior to that he was competitive in a Grade 3 turf sprint. Should be at his best at the mile distance. All Tied Up looked good when moved back to the turf and stays here today. English Minister has a win at this meet and hasn’t run a bad one in 2015.
Race 6 1-3-10
Super Surprise goes for the deadly Pletcher/Velasquez combination. Works are impressive. Young Anna Lee already has a state bred stakes under her belt at the distance. Castellano takes the ride today. Here Comes Rosie had a lot of trouble in her first start but showed good interest. Has the outside post to overcome.
Race 7 7-9-4
Puppy Manners cuts back in distance and drops in price in search of the win. Looks by far the best figures. Escapist has a second at SAR and a win at the distance. Had been racing with better and goes first time after the claim by Bruce Brown. Bajan Summer has a second at the distance and one at the Spa. Moves from state-bred ALW to the open claiming ranks.
Race 8 8-3-6
Yes I’m Lucky was not going to close on the pace in his last race. Was running is stakes races in the spring. Worth a look at 12-1 ML. Boot Scootin Daddy looks for three in a row and is a newly changed gelding. Really good figures from his first two. Candir is making his 2015 debut for Chad Brown and he is 28% with long layoff runners. Has a win at SAR.
Race 9 1-4-2-9
The last three are very competitive. Touch the Moon cuts back to the distance where she broke her maiden. Should be able to get a good spot. Top Decile was good enough to finish second in the Alcibiades and the BC Juv Fillies. Didn’t look so good in her 2015 debut but top trainer Albert Stall looks like he has her returning in top condition. Elraazy just missed at this level last time out. Junior Alvarado takes the ride. Kirov ships in from California and gets a new trainer in Chad Brown. Have to respect the connections.
Race 10 1-4-3-8
The Fourstardave attracts a stellar field even without the presence of Wise Dan. Mshawish looked good in his race in Dubai where he lost to top runner Solow. Before that he was the king of the GP winter/spring meet. Has to make sure not to get trapped from the one post. You ignore King Kreesa at your own peril. He has a win and two seconds in four starts at SAR and has the versatility to prompt or track. Ironicus is on the improve and since his first start has not run a bad race. Jack Milton is a legitimate Grade 1 horse. Any one of these horses could be the winner.
Race 11 1-5-6-9
Deficit Hawk drops way down in search of a win. Class should overwhelm the field. Pin and Win is on my horses to watch list. He was making a move in the stretch when stymied making his last better than looked. Castellano stays for the ride. Aleander was in the same race as the previous runner and did well to close for second in his last race. Fast Runner cuts back a half furlong from his effort on this track last time. Got a competitive figure from that one.
Saratoga August 14
Race 1 3-6-1
Ground Force has been off since AQU but Jason Servis is 23% with layoff horses. He drops to his lowest price in a while for the return. Rockford isn’t at the distance very often, but is 1 for 1. Another one of the price droppers. DJ scratched what looked like the stronger half of the entry leaving Mr. Masterpiece. I like the angle and sooner of later DJ has to start having more winners.
Race 2 7-1-2
Bottle Walk showed high speed in her debut before hitting a wall. Expecting an improved performance today. Diannecantretire puts the blinkers on after a disappointing performance in a straight maiden at MTH. Should be the pacesetter. Anna Rae is by Tiz Wonderful who has done very well with his two year old progeny.
Race 3 7-3-4
Heaven’s Touch looks like the speed of the race and goes for Wesley Ward who is 28% off the layoff. Ward/Hernandez is a 25% combination. Midnight Champagne has been consistent in 2015 and Michelle Nevin is excellent off the layoff. In Haste makes the big price drop in search of a win.
Race 4 9-6-1
Frisky Magician improved on the turf and should be toward the front. A little more improvement should make him the one to beat. Wicked Freud ran well first time out and has a figure as good as anything else in the race. Tiz a Chance showed good talent first time out in 2014. Motion is 24% off the return.
Race 5 6-9-3
JC’s Shooting Star has a mild case of seconditis, but given who she’s been up against that’s not such a bad thing. Had some trouble at the break last out and went wide but still finished well. Donatienne was another that had trouble at the start last out. Has a nice second at SAR last year. Saratoga by Design cuts back a sixteenth after showing good speed.
Race 6 1A-5-6
Moneyinyour Pocket looked bad before his last race but before that had a nice victory. Shouldn’t have any trouble with the distance. Mr. Palmer was claimed last out by Servis and he is 40% with his claims. Locker Room Guy has been devastating at FL and should compete well in this group.
Race 7 10-8-4
Ramble gets a positive switch to Johnny V and drops down in search of a win. Outer Orbit is 2 of 3 at the distance and 1 for 1 at SAR. Jewelisa is also 2 of 3 at the distance with a second at SAR.
Race 8 7-4-2
Conquest Superstep ran well on the turf last out but is probably superior on the dirt. Has good figures from SA and DMR. Building Permit goes for Brown/Castellano. Has been running consistent figures. Prize Take rarely runs a bad one although she has been struggling to find the winner’s circle.
Race 9 4-1-5
Sentiero Italia duels again with Strict Compliance and the last time they met it was a Grade 1 that they dead heated in. Different running styles so it may depend on how the surface is playing. Consumer Credit is the third horse coming out of the Belmont Oaks and she’s been competitive in G1’s all year. Should appreciate the distance cutback.
Race 10 2-4-7
Sauvignon has been improving and has the fastest last race number. Esther the Queen showed good interest last time on the turf and should improve today. Congress Park ran well first out in 2015 and gets Castellano back for this trip.
Saratoga August 13
Just the numbers today racing fans. Back with comments on Friday.
Race 2 1-5-4
Race 3 1-2-7
Race 4 2-1-6
Race 5 4-3-5
Race 6 6-8-3-4
Race 7 3-5-6
Race 8 8-2-4-10
Race 9 3-1-8
Race 10
I liked this race as a puzzle to solve.
New York Victory has two sprints at PARX for slightly less than today’s price. He was claimed last out by Michael Pino, a 22% trainer. His rider, Andry Blanco, is a 17% guy, so not a complete throwout. The horse has a race at BEL when the competent Patricia Farro was training, and he ran an even 4th. He’s 20-1 on the ML, and I don’t think he’s without a chance.
Ganso is another interesting longshot. He ran a complete clunker on the turf, came back at a mile and was actually right there for six furlongs. He has a really nice work in July, but it is a little bothersome he doesn’t show any other activity. Still, he’s getting better with experience, has speed, which is always dangerous, and has exception dirt sprint breeding.
Bird Humor doesn’t quite have the figures of a few others, but he takes the blinkers off, has shown speed and gets an interesting switch to Rosario. Some things to like.
Nicholson is another interesting longshot. I don’t like that he has nine starts, but his last three starts were on wet tracks, and despite having a high wet track rating, he seemed to despise the going. Those races were also straight maidens. Before that he had a race at SAR and finished second by a head in a time that would blow this field away. He’s very hidden and has a much bigger chance than his 15-1 ML would suggest.
Leflore County is one of the obvious horses. He has two pretty good figures in his last two, and if you throw out the turf race, he’s running consistently. He was gelded since his last, is dropping from MSW and seems to be one of the presser possibilities.
Ettaman was also gelded since his last and puts the blinkers on. If it was anyone other than Joe Sharp who claimed him last out, and a lesser jockey than Castellano riding him, I probably woudn’t give him much of a look.
Call Daddy has a lot of starts, and that’s usually a negative for me, but he was claimed last out by Gullo and has competitive figures. On paper he’s likely to get bet.
Green Gold only has two starts for Wesley Ward, and drops from MSW to this claiming price. Has shown speed and has a good series of works at KEE. 12-1 and wouldn’t be a big surprise.
I made a case for 8 horses. Good luck on this one.
Saratoga August 12
Race 2 4-5-6
Winning for Sarah ships in from Parx for Patricia Farro. She has a two race winning streak and has won 3 of her last 4. Price level should be no problem. Benny’s Bullet should be contensting the early pace. Better on the dirt. Sun and Moon moves back to the dirt where she’s got a good record.. She’s got a second at SAR.
Race 3 4-7-2
Stone Supplier has a strong workout pattern and Levine is 19% with first timers. Lady Daphne goes for Brown/Castellano. She’s dropping out of MSW into the claiming ranks. Claddagh’s Button improved when dropped to the claiming level.
Race 4 2-4-1
Alex the Terror is dropping from a stakes race to the $40K claimer. Has run his best figures on the dirt. Whateveryouwant just won an OC $40K and has won 3 of his last 4. Sunny Puzzle and Gypsum Johnny make a good combo for Contessa and he managed to attact Castellano and Irad for the ride.
Race 5 5-1-9-3
Kentucky Road sold for ten times the stud fee and has a nice workout pattern. Tizasong goes for Graham Motion. The last work over the SAR surface was encouraging. Double Dose is the other Pletcher runner and gets the usual number one jock in Johnny V. Last work was on the turf and that makes me wonder, but otherwise the combo is hard to ignore. Big Thrill was a $410K purchase and should be given some consideration.
Race 6 9-1-10 (12)
Kensington Court seemed up against it in the allowance ranks and drops back to claimers. Pletcher is good with that move. Ready Strike is another dropping after struggling with allowance horses. Should get a good spot from the inside. Marvino has been close in his last two after breaking his maiden and although he is coming from the 10 post, he should be able to get a decent early spot. Dynamic Decision is in the mix if he draws in.
Race 7 4-8-3
Vicki’s Dancer was taken last out by DJ who is having a fairly uninspired meet. The horse has the best last race figure and is well placed for a win. Sister Sophia has a two race win streak and has the figures to compete here. Alexandrie looks like a better horse on the turf and beat a better field in her last sprint.
Race 8 7-5-2
The marathon Birdstone is a tough race to dissect. Tacticus didn’t look bad in his last start and gets Lasix today. He’s been the distance so the 14 furlongs shouldn’t be an issue. Cary Street has been keeping company with graded stakes types and is 1 of 1 at the distance. Micromanage has been exclusively in stakes company and also has a win at the distance.
Race 9 7-6-5
Fashion Fund has had success at this level in 2015. Is 2 of 3 in the money at SAR and should have no issue with the distance. Regardez goes for Brown/Ortiz, a 28% combo. Has been a beaten favorite in her last two but was competitive in both. 3 of 4 in the money at the distance. Radiator is a likely pace presser and is decently bred for the distance.
Race 10 6-3-4
Antrim Colleen ran her best race when dropped to the claiming level and is back there today. Angel Choir drops to her lowest price. She has the best speed and the drop may put her over the top. Accord puts the blinkers on and drops to her lowest price. The last race figure says competitive.
Saratoga August 10
Race 1 1-6-5
No Entiendo has a start and almost wired a field. The one post has been productive in these short sprints. New York Song goes for Violette/Ortiz. He’s got good sprint breeding and a good workout pattern. Dublinyourmoney was a $350K two year old purchase off a $6,500 stud fee. The workouts are decent, and Lynn Whiting is skilled with two year olds.
Race 2 5-6-1
Abraham goes for Mott. He hasn’t raced since January but he is 2 for 2 at SAR. Mott is decent with horses off the long layoff. Conspiracy was claimed last out by Levine who is 25% lately with first off the claim. Has good tactical speed. Indycott drops for Joe Sharp and has the figures to be a factor here.
Race 3 5-4-3
Coordinate was competitive at MSW and ran well first time with claimers. Probably at the right level. Tiz Time to Shake makes one more drop in search of a win. Much better than the 10-1 ML suggests. Tizacinch is another longshot with better prospects than his odds suggest. Good race to take a flyer.
Race 4 7-8-10
One Sided goes for Pletcher/Ortiz, a 21% combination. Just missed in his first with winners and looks well positioned today. Tiz Time to Shine gets Castellano after running strong in an ALW race. Second race of the year for him and should improve. Zabaione should be closing. He had trouble his last two starts and a clean trip should allow him to show his best stuff.
Race 5 5-10-4
Late Night Mark finally gets Lasix and a good cutback in distance. Expect better from him today. Vogner drops out of MSW into the claiming ranks and has the figures to compete here. Eye of the Moon is another dropping down after being close in his last few.
Race 6 9-4-11
Capriana blew a state-bred ALW field away last out and looks strong here. Swear By It is also 2 for 2 lifetime and should make a race of it. Graceful Gal rarely runs a bad one.
Race 7 7-10-9
Regal Minister had been racing with state-bred stakes horses and looked good when dropped to this level last out. Johnny V takes the mount. The Big Deluxe fits well at this level and has the best lifetime figure. Bass River Road has run well off the layoff and the works say ready.
Race 8 1-7-5
Amazing Anne has the most consistent figures but is going against the boys. Still, has big chances to be the winner. Possessed just won one of these at BEL but has not run on the grass yet. Has the top last race figure. If he takes to the grass he’s going to be tough to beat. Mark My Style has a third in his one try at SAR. Has been racing well of late.
Race 9 4-5-3
Splendid Gold puts the blinkers on for his second try with MCL. Has the tactical speed to get a good spot. Aussie Prayer has been knocking since dropping to the MCL ranks and looks as good as anything here. Cosmic Tale has plenty of speed and should benefit from the cutback in distance.