Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Noble Huntsman gets needed class relief

Aqueduct | Race 9 | Post Time 4:07 p.m. (ET)

Frizzante (#1) looks like a logical contender as he makes his first start off the claim for Linda Rice. He’s been running some of the fastest recent TimeformUS Speed Figures in the field, and clearly handles the distance. He was facing a field of decent quality in his most recent off the turf race at the same level where he checked in second. However, collecting minor awards become a common occurrence for this 3-year-old, who has finishing second or third in 8 of his last 10 starts with 5 seconds. I still prefer him to Uncorrelated (#10), who showed speed and faded in that same Sep. 29 race, making his first start since a lengthy layoff. He should take money again going out for the Chad Brown barn, but these types are often ready to fire in their return efforts, so I wonder how much improvement he can muster. I’m also concerned that a mile is just too far for him. I’d be more interested in third-place finisher Az U Chase Me (#6) out of that same race, since he is now cutting back to a one-turn race for the first time since then and should get an honest pace up front.

Confabulation (#3) also figures to attract support in his second start since getting claimed by Rick Dutrow. He broke his maiden in his first start for the new barn last time, leading throughout after setting moderate fractions. He’s now stepping up against a tougher field, but it’s hard to ignore anything the Dutrow barn has sent out lately, since he’s winning at 50% since the start of this current meet.

A wild card is Register (#7), who was uncompetitive in his return from a layoff at the allowance level last time. However, that proved to be an awfully tough spot where he found himself chasing stakes winner El Grande O and subsequent 115 TimeformUS Speed Figure allowance winner Toxic Gray. He’s finally getting class relief after a string of poor efforts and may be capable of better as he picks up Dylan Davis.

My top pick is Noble Huntsman (#8). This 4-year-old may be tough for some to endorse given his 1 for 27 lifetime record, but he’s only raced on dirt in 6 of those starts, and he handled this surface without issue last winter while facing tougher company than this. He was hardly disgraced chasing home the likes of Light Man, who has since gone on to become a stakes winner. All of his prior dirt starts came at the allowance level, and now he’s dropping in for a tag on this surface for the first time. He did try claiming company in a few turf races this summer, and arguably should have won on Aug. 4 when hung wide around both turns from an outside post. He appears to be about as talented on dirt as he is on turf, and now he’s dropping to the right level in a race that is supposed to feature an honest early pace.