Litfin's preview: Big day for New York-breds

Saturday, May 31, preview

BIG APPLE SHOWCASE DAY

All 10 races, including six stakes, are for New York-breds, beginning with an early pick four that consists of the Kingston (2nd), Bouwerie (3rd), Mount Vernon (4th), and Mike Lee (5th).

The Critical Eye (7th) and the Commentator Handicap (9th) are the first and third legs of a late pick four with a $300,000-guaranteed pool.

KHARAFA VS. LUBASH: ROUND 7

The stakes action gets under way with the Kingston and what promises to be another bare-knuckle brawl between last year’s runner-up, Kharafa, and Lubash, who runs in his fourth straight renewal of the one-mile turf race. This will be the seventh clash between the two veterans, who were necks apart in a prep for this at Aqueduct.

EFFIE TRINKET LOOMS LARGE

Those looking for a free square in the early pick four and/or the pick five will zero in on Effie Trinket in the Mount Vernon. Effie Trinket went 4 for 4 on Belmont turf last year at four distances and is versatile enough to sit close if the early fractions are moderate or rally from behind if someone opts to put pressure on probable pacesetter Roses for Romney.

Roses for Romney comes off a big win first time for Christophe Clement; she is out of the mare Beebe Lake, the runner-up in the 2004 Mount Vernon.

UNCLE SIGH TO SCRATCH FROM MIKE LEE

Gary Contessa said Uncle Sigh, the 4-5 morning-line choice in the Mike Lee, will scratch in order to await either the Easy Goer here June 7 or the Pegasus at Monmouth Park on June 15; both of those races are at 1 1/16 miles.

LA VERDAD THE ONE TO CATCH

The game plan looks pretty simple for La Verdad, who comes off a sharp score in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap and attempts to win past six furlongs for the first time in the one-mile Critical Eye: Catch me if you can.

La Verdad totes 123 pounds, eight more than she carried in the Distaff. If she falters late, the one coming at her likely will be Macha, a California shipper dropping out of the Grade 1 Santa Margarita.

BROWN SENDS OUT TWO IN COMMENTATOR

Chad Brown has both barrels loaded in the Commentator Handicap, as he sends out last year’s winner, Readtheprospectus, and morning-line choice Zivo in the one-mile race out of the chute.

The 2013 Commentator was the sixth of seven straight wins for Readtheprospectus, who makes his first start since the streak finally ended with an off-the-board finish in the Empire Classic.

Zivo rides a four-race win streak that includes two stakes on Aqueduct’s inner dirt and a career-top Beyer Speed Figure of 97 in a high-end optional claimer on the final weekend of the Big A’s spring meet.