Kinenos may be favored but Kunal has upset potential

The Friday feature, a one-mile grass race restricted to 3-year-olds and open to first-level allowance horses and $50,000 claimers, attracted eight entrants, none of whom can easily be eliminated.

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Kinenos, who won a turf route for maidens in his second and most-recent start Nov. 23 at Aqueduct, looks like the favorite for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux.

Kinenos debuted with a third in a turf route won by Tiesto and got a dream trip in his maiden win, where jockey Javier Castellano was able to stick to the fence nearly the entire trip while finding room just when he needed it. Kinenos gets credit for fighting back to win when two horses came alongside him in midstretch, but the field he beat has not gone on to accomplish much since the race was run.

Kunal should be about three times the win price of Kinenos and gets a tepid nod as the top pick. Owner-trainer Louie Roussel acquired Kunal following a four-start 2-year-old campaign that saw him launch an eye-catching rally going from 12th at the stretch call to third at the finish of the Cup and Saucer Stakes for Canadian-breds at Woodbine. Kunal was a close, closing fourth after early trouble in a race like Friday’s on Feb. 8 and ought to be able to improve a couple lengths off that performance.