Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Class relief and turnback should suit Do Gooder

Saratoga | Race 8 | Post Time 5:10 p.m. (ET)

The two fillies who finished directly behind the talented Munnys Gold on June 7 look like top contenders in this first-level allowance going the same six-furlong distance. Roswell (#7) got closest to that heavily favored winner late, launching a strong bid from mid-pack to finish fastest of all across the wire. The Bill Mott trainee bounced back from a minor disappointment at Churchill in May, where she just couldn’t handle some added ground. She loves this shorter distance, and there appears to be speed signed on to set up her rally. Sam’s Treasure (#4) didn’t have a major excuse in settling for third behind Roswell last time, but I wonder if she’ll get handled more aggressively here. Joel Rosario left the gate with the clear intention to rate her on June 7 while her Wesley Ward-trained stablemate went up to press the pace. This time she figures to make better use of her tactical speed, but she still needs a slight step forward to turn the tables on the likely favorite.

The obvious alternative to these two is recent Churchill maiden winner Princess Madison (#9), who was visually impressive in her most recent victory. However, her 96 TimeformUS Speed Figure is pretty light compared to others in this field. She’s also stepping up against much tougher company after beating a maiden field that lacked much depth of talent.

My top pick is Do Gooder (#1), who will be turning back to the shortest distance she’s ever attempted. She’s also getting some class relief after facing Grade 2 stakes company twice in a row this spring before encountering the classy Ways and Means when finally dropped to this level last time. She ran better than the results suggest in all of those races. She got shuffled back in traffic into the clubhouse turn of the Gulfstream Park Oaks, and then got steadied multiple times through the opening quarter of a June 6 allowance affair before getting keen racing in a pocket. She’s produced some very quick workout times since then, showing off her natural speed. She was involved in some fast paces in her first couple of starts against maidens, which leads me to believe she will be suited by this shorter distance. Her pedigree would suggest the same since her dam is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed dirt sprinter Bobby Abu Dhabi.