Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Anyway gets needed class relief

Aqueduct | Race 2 | Post Time 1:42 p.m. (ET)

Gulfy (#1) has to be considered the one to beat in this starter allowance after dominating a maiden field last time. It did take him six attempts to finally garner that diploma, but he ran deceptively well against tougher competition in several maiden special weight starts prior to that. He put forth an underrated effort two back when chasing outside against the golden rail on Feb. 5. However, he had no such barriers in his path last time, as he got right to the front end and drew off in the mud. The form of that race was flattered when runner-up First Blessing returned to win last week. Gulfy switches into the barn of Gustavo Rodriguez, but that trainer is 12 for 50 (24%, $2.67 ROI) first off the claim in dirt routes over the last five years.

The only horse I can support as an alternative is Anyway (#2), who gets some minor class relief after facing stakes company last time. He was no match for impressive winner Sculco's Folly but was hardly disgraced in his grinding fourth-place result. I felt that the main track was mildly biased towards inside runners on Mar. 7, and Anyway found himself chasing wide throughout, so I would upgrade his performance slightly. While he hasn't won in either start over a mile, he has demonstrated that he handles the one-mile distance. He should get a fair pace setup this time, something he lacked in the last race, as there are multiple speedsters signed on.