Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Classic Catch should finally get better trip

Belmont at the Big A | Race 2 | Post Time 1:10 p.m. (ET)

This allowance/optional claimer only drew five runners, but there is some quality among the group. The horse to beat is probably Bendoog (#3), who narrowly missed in the Grade 2 Suburban three starts back at Saratoga. He was only beaten a half-length by Crupi, who would go on to finish a strong second in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga. Since then, however, the results have been a little disappointing. Bendoog received plenty of support when bet down to 7-2 in the Charles Town Classic, but was never a factor behind Skippylongstocking. Last time out he went favored in a softer spot at Churchill and couldn’t reel in the front-runner Pipeline. He now looks to bounce back in his return to the NYRA circuit.

Another horse making his way back to New York is Law Professor (#1), who had plenty of success here over the past couple of seasons, winning the Queens County and Excelsior in 2023 before pairing up victories at this level earlier this year. He was sold at auction for $230k after that February victory and transferred to a different trainer. He didn’t show up at all for his new connections in one start at Oaklawn, but he’s had plenty of time since then and has been returned to Rob Atras. His best race will make him tough for this group to handle.

My top pick is Classic Catch (#5). This horse showed talent as a 3-year-old, earning a 117 TimeformUS Speed Figure when beating older rival Costa Terra at Saratoga in August 2023. He then was arguably best after getting away to a poor start in the off-the-turf Jockey Club Derby. Given that form, his 4-year-old results have been disappointing, but he has had more than his fair share of excuses. He was wide against a strong rail bias when he made his return April 13 at Keeneland. He then should have won on June 12 at Churchill when his jockey spent too much time waiting for room inside, getting shuffled back to upper stretch before finding room too late. He didn’t run well in his most recent start at Saratoga, but he also had little chance to make an impact after getting hung four to five wide around both turns against a pretty tough field. He figures to get a smoother journey in this smaller field, and his best efforts put him right on par with the favorites.