Free World looks to keep on rockin' in Saturday allowance
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Free World will try to extend in his winning streak to five when he starts in the featured 11th race Saturday at Arlington, but his string of victories has been interrupted by a break of 11 months, and Free World lands in a tough spot for his comeback run.
Free World is one of nine horses in race 11, which is carded at one mile on turf and has a host of high-end allowance conditions to go with an $80,000 claiming option. Trained by Tom Amoss for owner Maggi Moss, Free World’s win streak began in dirt races over bullring-style tracks at Delta Downs and Charles Town, but the Stormy Atlantic colt proved even more effective on turf – at least at Indiana Downs. There, he won an open allowance race by 7 1/2 lengths and the $207,000 Centaur Stakes by two lengths over the good 3-year-old grass horse War Dancer before going to the sidelines for an extended break.
Free World shows published works dating to late March at Gold Mark Farm in Florida, and Amoss regularly wins with long-layoff comebackers, but Free World never has tested older rivals and faces a potentially difficult pace scenario Saturday. Free World’s best performances have come when he leads, and he faces two foes who possess a similar running style. Bells Big Bernie, drawn just outside Free World in post 9, has been a regular first-call leader in his route races, and even if he fails to show speed, the good Illinois-bred Tazz is almost certain to go for the lead.
A contested pace could lead to a perfect stalking or pressing trip for Mr. Vegas – who needs all the help he can get to find the winner’s circle. Mr. Vegas carries solid enough form into Saturday’s start, and he has finished worse than third only once in eight Arlington grass starts, but Mr. Vegas has failed to win since 2012.
Mavericking has a decent chance, late-running Slip and Drive a slightly worse one, and it is hard to know what to expect from Street Spice. Street Spice, third in the Hawthorne Gold Cup last fall, has as much talent as any horse in the race but would be making his grass debut if the race remains on turf and running on a synthetic surface – which he hasn’t handled well in two starts – if proceedings are moved to the main track because of rain.