Gierkink's preview: Jackpot Hi 5 carryover tops $400,000

Friday, Sept. 12, preview

The Jackpot Hi 5 carryover for the ninth and final race is $400,494.

Over the Cliff is the tepid 3-1 morning-line favorite in this seven-furlong claimer for non-winners of three. The front-runner is dropping from slightly tougher conditioned company to $8,000 and has other speed to contend with.

Aisle Altar Hymn (7-2) is competing beyond six furlongs for the first time, off a closing second going five-eighths. He could be viewed as a vulnerable favorite after breaking from the outside.

One Nine Nine (4-1) should be an effective stalker under Emma-Jayne Wilson, who inherits the mount from the little-known Justin Jensen. He was too aggressive while participating in a speed duel in a shorter sprint at this level Aug. 22 and faded to third in the last sixteenth.

Turf racing in jeopardy?

Following heavy rain Wednesday night, it wouldn’t be surprising to see turf racing scrapped, even though the temporary rail is out in lane 5.

Money Talker (8-5) heads the feature, a third-level optional claimer scheduled for 10 furlongs on the grass. He left some talented rivals in his wake last time when a lapped-on third in the Grade 2 Sky Classic Stakes on firm turf. Ground with some give to it and Polytrack are surfaces that he appears to dislike.

A surface change could benefit Lukes Alley, Sachem Spirit, Cummings Road, and Quaesitor.

Following a long layoff July 27, Lukes Alley (3-1) checked in a distant second in a Polytrack route at this level won by a sharp Reporting Star, who subsequently ran second in the Sky Classic.

Sachem Spirit (4-1) and Cummings Road (8-1) ran one-two in a second-level optional event on the Polytrack on Aug. 10. Sachem Spirit is the lone speed on paper, and his new stablemate, Cummings Road, is debuting off the $60,000 claim by Mark Casse, his original trainer.

Quaesitor (8-1) is a marathon expert who won last year’s 1 3/4-mile Valedictory Stakes on the Polytrack. He is winless on turf and is returning from a freshening, undoubtedly with a fall campaign in mind.