Hammersly: Aqueduct pick three for Saturday, Dec. 13

The late-card pick three that interests me here (races 6-8) may start with maidens, but at least the wager starts with maidens, so you can see the wagering and make a visual assessment instead of having such a tough leg come after you’ve made your investment.

Race 6

VIA STRATA (#8) makes her debut, but the filly has been working wonderfully, including a number of bullets, for Kiaran McLaughlin, who is quite sharp first time out. She’s regally bred, and if she attracts money and looks the part, she may be our key horse. SKIDMORE (#10) may be ready to turn the corner. After a couple of dull Saratoga outings, she dueled and ran fourth at Laurel on Oct. 17 and then finished with good energy to be second on the big track here Nov. 19. Should Via Strata be a bit cold on the board and not quite look the part, then move this guy up to ‘A’ status.

WUNDAHOWIGOTHERE (#3) has shown fine speed and comes off a good third on the big track here Nov. 19, just 1 1/2 lengths behind Skidmore. That was her first start in more than 11 months, too, so she surely can improve. MAJESTIC EMPIRE (#2) blew the start of her debut at Belmont on Oct. 3 and was unable to make a dent, finishing sixth. She’s been freshened and gets blinkers, and trainer Mike Hushion has good numbers the second time out (35 percent) and adding blinkers for the first time (19 percent). CAT TEN (#4) is interesting. She invades from Florida and hasn’t run since Feb. 12, but she’s been working along smartly.

A’s) 8
B’s) 2, 3, 10
C’s) 4

Race 7

WAR HERO (#3) won his debut here last Dec. 26. This marks his first start since he was a troubled fifth, beaten just 1 3/4 lengths, at Laurel on March 7, but trainer Chad Brown is superb off a long layoff like this. His last two starts also indicate that he fits well at this level. MISCHIEVIOUSLY (#2) may have turned the corner as he rallied past maidens on the big track here Nov. 21 and whipped $35,000 N2L claimers on this track Dec. 3. He gets a most encouraging move up the ladder by Rice, who puts him in a spot where she can’t lose him via a claim.

JETER (#1) has burned his share of money, but he has won here. He comes back quickly after running a well-beaten third (7 1/4 lengths) here Dec. 6 for Edward Barker, and this has been one of his power moves (4 for last 8, 50 percent, coming back in seven days or fewer). CHAPMAN (#4) figures to appreciate the drop after a pair of stakes engagements. He’s also done well here (3 for 6).

A’s) 2, 3
B’s) 1, 4
C’s) None

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Race 8

STORMIN MONARCHO (#6) comes here awfully sharp, having won three of his last four, all stakes. It’s his first time here, but he’s run big at Gulfstream, Delaware, Saratoga, Laurel, and Penn, so he should handle this place. ELNAAWI (#2) came home resolutely to win at Keeneland two months ago. He looks ready to get back into stakes, and remember, he broke his maiden here in January 2013. A bullet work Dec. 8 at Belmont says he’s ready. VYJACK (#5) is probably the one to beat as he’s been facing tougher, but the very nature of that drop means he’s likely to be overbet. Still, his nice win in the Grade 2 Kelso on Sept. 27 shows he can do damage in the right spots, and he won his only two prior starts on this track, including the Grade 3 Gotham in March 2013. MICROMANAGE (#1) may enjoy getting back to dirt. PERCUSSION (#7) likely needed his Nov. 7 race on the big track here, where he dueled and faded to fourth, as it was his first start in more than five months. He’s done plenty of good work on this track (eight exacta finishes in 13 starts).

A’s) 2, 6
B’s) 1, 5
C’s) 7