Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Egyptian steps up in class off the claim for sharp barn

Aqueduct | Race 7 | Post Time 4:21 p.m. (ET)

I don't have a major knock against likely favorite Playa Del Mar (#4). He obviously has compiled a body of work that makes him the horse to beat, especially if he can get back to any of his better races for the Bill Mott barn. However, he's gone through the claim box a couple of times since then and his form appears to be tailing off slightly. He didn't run that well two back when he was sluggish despite spending time on the rail. He was racing over a speed-biased track last time out, but I still wanted to see him put up more of a fight as the favorite. Now he's going out for Linda Rice off the claim, but that will only drive down his price.

Rice's other entrant Antietam (#6) just broke his maiden last time out, but he wasn't beating the strongest field. On the other hand, he is improving with each start since the claim by Rice, and it's interesting that her preferred rider Jose Lezcano lands on this horse instead of the favorite.

My top pick is Egyptian (#5). He's primarily been competing at lower levels than this, but I like the confidence being displayed as he moves up in class off the claim for Rick Dutrow. This barn obviously has strong statistics with new acquisitions, and I think this horse has run better than it might appear in a few prior starts. He didn't get the best ride last time when the jockey overcommitted to the rail path, getting glued to the inside waiting for room in traffic. Not only is Dutrow taking over the training, but he now gets a significant jockey upgrade to leading New York rider Manny Franco