King's preview: Best card since Derby Day

Saturday, June 14, preview

Best card since Derby Day

Besides the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on Saturday evening, four other stakes are part of a banner night of racing – three graded races for Thoroughbreds that lead up to the Foster and then an Arabian stakes race that goes immediately after it.

Although the Matt Winn and Fleur De Lis drew short fields – seven and six – both the Foster and Regret drew quality and quantity. The latter two races are excellent wagering races, in addition to showcasing some top stakes horses.

With the exception of Jaguar Paw, who has gone unplaced in three straight starts and hasn’t run since February, one could make a case for just about any other runner in the Foster.

It will be intriguing to see whether Will Take Charge will return to form. He clearly didn’t run to his potential when sixth in the Alysheba in early May, leading many to wonder if his active racing schedule had finally caught up to him.

This horseplayer expects a better effort, but a complete form reversal off his latest to beat a Grade 1 field is a challenging task.

Long River is the value play of the Foster. His morning line seems a little too generous at 15-1, but even at 10-1 or so, he offers appeal.

He made a premature move to challenge Game On Dude for the lead in the Charles Town Classic and paid the price by fading to fifth. Look past that race, and his races around two turns this year at Aqueduct resulted in Beyer Speed Figures of 107 and 106 – numbers that suggest he can be a force in the Foster.

Spot Plays

First Race
RATION (#4, 7-2) is returned to the level at which he was claimed earlier this meet – $30,000 N3L company – after showing speed and fading on the grass in a much stronger second-level allowance. He is regularly competitive on dirt and well suited to running this seven-furlong distance.

Seventh Race
FLASHY AMERICAN (#6, 7-2) is the upset choice to win the Fleur De Lis. An eye-catching winner of the Sixty Sails at Hawthorne, she returns to Churchill, where the majority of her best races have come. She also is a winner of three of five races at 1 1/8 miles.

Ninth Race
PERSONAL DIARY (#5, 15-1) is a dangerous longshot in the Regret, having run consecutive 82 Beyers in deep allowance fields in her last two starts when racing this distance of 1 1/8 miles. Those figures aren't far behind the top Beyers of the favorites.