Englehart coupled duo must overcome outside posts in Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes

Based on Beyer Speed Figures, trainer Jeremiah Englehart has a clear advantage over his competition in Saturday’s $50,000 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Finger Lakes with his coupled entry of Clean Jean and Tahoe Tigress. The question is whether either mare can get the job done starting toward the far outside in the 1 1/16-mile route.

Clean Jean (post 8) and Tahoe Tigress (post 11), both coming off daylight wins while earning Beyers of 81 and 85, might need a scratch or two to help their chances in a field of 12 older females.

Over the past two seasons in races between a mile and 70 yards and 1 1/16 miles, horses from posts 8-12 are a combined 5 for 68 (7 percent) at Finger Lakes, which does not bode well for either Clean Jean or Tahoe Tigress.

The 6-year-old Clean Jean, the horse of the meet at Finger Lakes in 2012, when she won 8 of 15 starts, scored by 9 3/4 lengths June 7 in her first start off a $20,000 claim by Englehart in May. She was seventh in last year’s Jack Betta Be Rite.

Tahoe Tigress recorded her career-best Beyer in beating open company in a second-level optional $62,500 claimer at Belmont Park on June 19. Jose Ortiz comes along to retain the mount for Englehart, who began the weekend tied for first in the trainers’ standings with his father, Chris Englehart, the leading trainer locally in each of the last 11 years.

Others who merit respect include Senora Dubai, who missed by a neck in this race last year, Belmont shipper Miss Da Point, and stretch-out sprinter Smitten by Gold.

Senora Dubai makes the third start of her current form cycle. The last time that occurred, she defeated open allowance company by two lengths last August.

Miss Da Point comes out of a series of one-turn, one-mile races. In January, she won a restricted stakes going two turns on Aqueduct’s inner track.

Smitten by Gold flashed speed and faded in her first start since December a month ago. She has won each of the last three times she’s raced around two turns. Her trainer, Michael Ferraro, is 11 for 32 (34 percent) with horses going from sprints to routes while making their second start off a layoff, according to DRF’s Formulator.

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