Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Please Advise capable of better in Hall of Fame

Saratoga | Race 9 | Post Time 5:45 p.m. (ET)

Neat (#4) has to be considered the horse to beat in the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes. He is a two-time graded stakes winner on turf, facing a field of runners who collectively lack any wins at that level. The Rob Atras trainee has won five out of his last six turf starts, the only loss coming against some of the best in his division on Kentucky Derby Day in the Grade 2 American Turf. He bounced back out of that rare defeat with a win in the Manila at Aqueduct, and figures to be tough with a similar effort here.

A couple of his rivals who could attract the most attention are based in Kentucky. Army Officer (#8) finished ahead of Zverev (#3) when they met on May 11 at Churchill Downs, but the Bad Cox runner had a better trip. Army Officer returned from that runner-up result to win an allowance race over this course and distance. He looks ready for this step up to stakes company. Zverev got shuffled back early and encountered traffic in upper stretch and then again in the last sixteenth of his loss to Army Officer two back. However, he displayed improved tactical speed last time when besting another Cox trainee, West Hollywood, who returned to win here last Saturday.

My top pick is a horse who finished behind Neat last time in the Manila. Please Advise (#1) got a perplexing ride that day, as he broke quickest from the gate while the clear speed broke very slowly. Eric Cancel seemingly had an opportunity to control the race up front, but instead dragged Please Advise all the way back to last. The pace was slow, and he had little chance to make up ground late. This horse had also gotten difficult trips two back and three back. He was three to four wide around the turns, racing without cover in the Penn Mile, and had previously gotten an uncomfortable trip in the English Channel, blocked in traffic on the turn before getting pushed inward into traffic through the stretch. He possesses better tactical speed than he displayed in those races, as evidenced by his sprint form last year. Now he returns as a new gelding, while getting a significant rider switch to Flavien Prat, who figures to be more aggressive from this rail draw. Weaver tends to use Prat sparingly, but they are 5 for 13 (38%, $4.57 ROI) teaming up in turf races over five years.