Friday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Trango Tower should step forward in second start for Rice
Aqueduct | Race 4 | Post Time 2:10 p.m. (ET)
Tatania (#6) is likely to attract attention in this one-mile maiden affair as she stretches out for the first time. She's certainly bred to go longer as a daughter of Tapit, and she has class on the female side with her dam being multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Paulassilverlining. That makes her a half-sister to Curlin Stakes winner Artorius, so added distance is supposed to benefit her. I just wonder how good she really is. She was compromised by a slow pace on debut at Churchill, but I still wanted to see her show a little more spark in the stretch of that race. Chad Brown has good statistics stretching out second-time starters, but this filly is liable to be overbet with Flavien Prat taking over the mount.
My Sherrona (#2) showed dirt ability here last winter, finishing second in a trio of races, culminating with a stakes-placing in the Busanda. Her dirt return at Saratoga this summer was a step backwards, but she had a right to need that race while facing a tough field off the layoff. She's since gotten back into form on turf, but she should handle this transition back to the main track. Her early speed makes her dangerous.
A couple of other players are exiting the Nov. 12 race for these same conditions. She's a Gemma (#4) vied for favoritism that day, and showed improved speed to contest the pace before tiring to finish fourth. That was her first start in over nine months, and she's likely to move forward with that race under her belt. She's drawn well outside of her two main pace rivals.
The horse that I would rather bet from Nov. 12 is Trango Tower (#5), who finished ahead of She's a Gemma and figures to be a better price once again. I thought she ran better than it looks to close into a slow pace two back, and last time she stayed on well after a wide trip. That most recent start was her first outing for Linda Rice's barn, and I don't think Rice had her in the stable for very long prior to that race. She had been training with Chad Brown's team at Monmouth as recently as mid-October, and showed no local works for Rice prior to that start. She had a right to need the race given less than ideal preparation, and can move forward now that she's had more time in the new program.