Illman: Pick four play at Aqueduct for Saturday, Nov. 21

Let’s take a stab at Saturday’s $200,000 guaranteed late pick four from Aqueduct, featuring the $100,000 Artie Schiller Stakes.
It’s certainly a difficult sequence with juvenile maiden special weight races chock-full of first-time starters bookending the bet. Thus, we won’t have access to any notable tote action on potentially live newcomers.

Here are some thoughts and Ticketmaker opinions:

Race 6

A – The Big Mo (3)

A – Wild Impulse (8)

A – Isofass (9)

B – Silver Romeo (10)

The Big Mo sold for $50,000 as a short yearling and was a $35,000 RNA eight months later before being purchased for $275,000 in March. A son of the red-hot Uncle Mo (15 for 55, 27 percent with debut runners), The Big Mo is a half-brother to synthetic stakes-winning router Rush With Thunder (also Grade 1-placed sprinting on dirt with a triple-digit Beyer).

Since early September, trainer Linda Rice is 3 for 3 with juvenile maiden sprinters moving from turf to dirt. She’ll try to keep the recent undefeated streak alive with Wild Impulse. There are plenty of dirt influences in this female family and Wild Impulse’s debut on that surface indicates he handles it just fine.

Isofass is a bit of a reach, but he sold for many times the $2,500 stud fee of his first-crop sire. Kin to two winners, Isofass shows an intriguing work tab at Fair Hill (the Oct. 17 drill mirrors that of 3-year-old Steep N Deep, a colt who earned a 96 Beyer in his lone career start last year). He is cross-entered in Saturday’s eighth race at Laurel.

Silver Romeo didn’t run well in his debut at Belmont as he tired badly after pressing the early pace. Kiaran McLaughlin adds blinkers for this assignment and the Stonestreet flag-bearer can show good speed once again.

Please note that I will add Malibu Action (2) as a ‘B’ to my pick four wager if any of my other selections scratch, or if Malibu Action takes a strong amount of money in the win pool.

Race 7

A – Blingo (4)

A – Mylute (6)

B – Don Dulce (2)

Before being sidelined for more than a year with a serious ligament injury, Blingo won the Grade 2 San Antonio Handicap before finishing ahead of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man when third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. You can take his non-effort in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Handicap last month with multiple grains of salt. It was his first start back in 19 months at a very demanding distance and trainer John Shirreffs was probably looking for nothing more than a safe trip around. Expect Blingo to be better prepared as he returns to dirt.

Mylute is the horse to beat following a rallying second in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap. A one-turn route is Mylute’s game and he should be moving strongly in the lane.

Don Dulce is a really hard-hitter who found the right class level in his second start off the Bruce Levine claim. These are tougher, but he can’t be discounted considering his overall body of work.

If Mylute scratches (he’s rumored as a possible entrant in next Saturday’s Cigar Mile), upgrade Don Dulce to an ‘A’ in the pick four.

Race 8

A – Slip By (3)

A – Lubash (4)

B – Reload (10)

Slip By earned a solid Beyer when taking an third-level optional claiming event at Laurel and really seemed to get over that yielding course with ease. There was significant rain in New York on Thursday evening and it’s possible that the turf will have some give to it for the Artie Schiller.

Lubash should be very tough. The New York-bred has taken three of his last four races, gets over any kind of footing and proved himself in open graded company last fall at Gulfstream Park West.

I’m not a big fan of Reload and I thought long and hard about pitching him completely. His best races have been the result of dream trips and he shut it down pretty quickly after the wire last time. He’ll have to likely overcome some adversity from an outside post, but I will admit that he is fast enough to win a race like this.

Horses like Plainview (2) and Vision Perfect (8) could be added as “B’s” if there are any scratches to the main play.

Race 9

A – New York Song (1)

A – Guardian (11)

C – Aragonite (7)

New York Song exits a very live maiden event. The winner returned to finish second in the Grade 2 Futurity with an 86 Beyer while the runner-up came back to graduate by 9 1/2 lengths with an 84. New York Song hit the gate at the start, was forced out on the backstretch and finished evenly behind those promising foes. If he breaks cleanly from the rail, he can be very tough here.

Bill Mott’s first-time starters historically don’t do well so Guardian can be expected to improve with that Oct. 17 race under his belt.

Aragonite boasts a strong work tab, including one breeze in company with Vision Perfect, but trainer David Donk usually gives them a race of two before they find their best stride.

Danebury (9) could be added as a ‘B’ if there are any scratches.

:: See Dan Illman’s pick four play in DRF TicketMaker and bet it with DRF Bets