Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Swore should relish added furlong

Saratoga | Race 6 | Post Time 4 p.m. (ET)

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Few runners in this maiden special weight event have previously tried 1 3/8 miles, but several of them seem like candidates to appreciate the added ground. Many will put Sacred Rhyme (#3) in that category, but I’m not totally convinced. He’s a half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Fire At Will from the family of good turf miler Decorated Invader. Chad Brown usually places these types well, and he is exiting a strong race where he rallied for third behind stakes-bound stablemate Program Trading. I just don’t expect him to offer value with Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard.

I have different concerns about the runner drawn to his inside, Smart Uncle (#2). This son of Uncle Mo appears to want every bit of this distance. I’m just not sure how good he is. He stayed on at one pace in his debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, but wasn’t facing a good field. He was placed in a tough spot last time against stakes foes at Santa Anita, but I was still hoping to see a bit more out of him.

Toofareastiswest (#10) is another who will be racing on the NYRA circuit for the first time, shipping up from Maryland. He also strikes me as one who should handle the added ground. He’s always staying on well at the end of his races, but has settled for second in each start of his career. I did think he was a little unlucky last time when held up in traffic until the top of the lane. Michael Trombetta adds blinkers and switches to Luis Saez, perhaps signaling he’ll show more speed from this outside post.

My top pick is Swore (#1). This 4-year-old took a while to get back to the races following his dirt debut. Yet he ran deceptively well upon his reemergence at Delaware two back, overcoming early trouble to rally for second. He stepped up against tougher last time at Belmont and handled the rise in class well, closing strongly for second in a race dominated toward the front end. It took him a while to warm to the task, but he was just hitting his best stride in the last furlong, suggesting that this three-turn trip should be right up his alley. The 106 TimeformUS Speed Figure that he earned for that effort essentially ties him with Toofareastiswest as the fastest horse in this field, and I expect both to run well.