King's preview: 3 spot plays and optional claimer advice

Racing returns under the lights

Another Downs After Dark card goes Friday evening, following on the heels of last Saturday’s card, on which the Stephen Foster Handicap and other stakes were run under the lights.

Friday’s races aren’t anywhere near of the caliber of last Saturday’s races, but it is far better than the typical Friday fare, particularly over the second half of the evening. First post is 6:00 p.m. Eastern, with my first spot play coming in the fourth at 7:31.

Thoughts on how to handicap optional claimers

Friday’s eighth race is a third-level allowance with an $80,000 claiming condition – what is commonly referred to as an optional claimer.

A type of race that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years, it allows racing secretaries to merge two types of horses into the same race, allowing for a bigger collective field.

Wondering who holds the advantage in these optional claimers – the allowance horse or the one running for the tag? There is no across-the-board answer. Naturally, it depends on the claiming price relative to the allowance competition and the individual merits of the runners in the field.

When the claiming price is high, as it is the eighth race Friday, my preference generally is for the claiming horse, and in Friday’s eighth race, that horse is Star Channel.

The reason: He already has long since cleared his third-level allowance condition. He’s won seven races but just isn’t a stakes horse – at least on a consistent basis, though he did win the Sunshine Millions Turf in January.

Besides, it is not as if his connections have much to lose by offering him up for an $80,000 tag. That is a nice payday if someone claims him, plus they get the opportunity to run for the purse.

Throw in that Star Channel is at his best going the eighth-race distance of 1 1/8 miles on turf, and he is an appealing choice to win the eighth at morning line odds of 9-2.

Spot plays

Race 4
FLATTERMEJIM (#5, 5-2), the day's best, is returned to his preferred surface on dirt after a second and a third in two local turf starters. He went 3 for 3 in dirt starters at Oaklawn.

Race 5
LOLA GETZ (#6, 7-2) makes her third start of a layoff, often the peak race of a horse's form cycle. She closed nicely to grab second against this caliber opposition last out and is in top hands with trainer Jeff Barkley.

Race 9
VIVA MARJORCA (#4, 3-1) blew away maidens by 12 lengths March 29 at Gulfstream before returning here with a runner-up finish in an allowance after a poor start. He likely needed his last race to regain fitness and should improve.