Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Buttah drawn well for return to allowance ranks
Belmont at the Big A | Race 7 | Post Time 4:09 p.m. (ET)
A few of the key players in this New York-bred allowance optional claimer exit the Aug. 16 race at this level won by Cut the Cord. Aggregation (#2) arguably ran just as well as the winner on that occasion despite settling for second. He was contesting the pace while racing wide on the turns and battled on gamely to the wire. That was his first start in 17 months, but he goes out for a trainer who has excellent statistics with horses coming off lengthy layoffs of that type, so I'm not sure how much we can expect him to improve here.
Get a Job (#6) didn't hang on quite as well as Aggregation after also contesting the pace in that Aug. 16 affair, but he may not have gotten as comfortable a trip despite saving more ground. For some reason, Irad Ortiz allowed him to lose position on the far turn, easing him out of a duel into the pocket before trying to come back along the inside in the stretch. That probably wasn't the right strategy in a race that was ultimately won with a late move down the center of the course. He's now making his first start off the claim for William Morey, who is a remarkable 7 for 10 (70%, $8.07 ROI) first off the claim at NYRA over the last 2 years. He also switches post positions, drawing outside his main pace rival.
Another horse who could be aided by his draw is my top pick Buttah (#7). This 3-year-old has only faced older rivals on one occasion, when he stepped up to this level on May 17. He got run down in the late stages by the classy Whittington Park, but still held on well for second after chasing a quick pace. He found two turns a little too far for him in the New York Derby where he ran into the talented Train the Trainer. He got back into a more realistic spot last time in a race rained off the turf. However, he didn't get the best ride, as he took a right turn out of the gate to foul rivals and then was asked to open up at the half-mile pole, which left him vulnerable in the late stages. He now gets a significant rider upgrade to Kendrick Carmouche, and this outside draw should allow him to work out his preferred stalking trip.