Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Meraviglioso’s recent form better than it appears
Aqueduct | Race 6 | Post Time 3:24 p.m. (ET)
All of the horses who figure to take money in this $16k claimer have their flaws. Halo City (#7) is probably the one to beat off her last effort, where she closed for second against a tougher starter allowance field. However, it’s been a long time since this mare has won a race – just over 2 years encompassing 18 starts, to be exact. This is the lowest level at which she’s competed for the Rob Atras barn, so she obviously makes sense. It’s just tough to take any kind of short price on a deep closer like this who so often is at the mercy of the pace scenario.
Another runner with back class is Sister Linda (#6), whose connections are also hoping the drop in class will help. She has generally run well when she’s been placed in straight claiming events, but that was not the case last time when she backed up through the pack after contesting a moderate pace. That Jan. 14 event was run during a snow storm, so perhaps she was not a fan of the conditions. I could make the same excuse for Suspended Campaign (#5), who finished just behind her that day, never mounting a rally from far off the pace. I do think it’s interesting that Rudy Rodriguez claimed this mare back after losing her at Saratoga last summer, and I would not be surprised if she’s more effective here on the dropdown.
I am most intrigued by a new face who doesn’t have the same experience as her competitors going this one-mile distance. Meraviglioso (#1) will be stretching out to a route for the first time, which is no easy task in the 26th start of her career. Yet she has run some of her best races going 7 furlongs, so it’s not that much of a stretch to ask her to get a one-turn mile, and she’s certainly bred for it. Some may dismiss her in this spot due to the perception that she hasn’t run well since the claim. However, she caught a tough starter allowance field back in November. She then didn’t get much relief against New York-bred claimers on Dec. 8, facing Sue Ellen Mishkin and Fontanafredda, who both went on to run competitively at higher levels. I thought Meraviglioso’s last race in particular was better than it appears. The rail was a distinct disadvantage on Jan. 11, and she was towards the inside for much of her trip. Horses have come back out of that race to improve, and I suspect she ran a lot better than the bare result indicates. She’s going to be a fair price here and should fit well against this field if she gets the distance.