Nexrad stepping up off maiden score in rich allowance
Trainer Bill Mott doesn’t ship a lot of horses to suburban Philadelphia. But when he does, he means business.
Over the past five years, Mott has gone 5 for 14 (36 percent) with runners he has brought to Parx Racing. In routes, Mott is 4 for 8, including wins by Close Hatches in the Grade 1 Cotillion in 2013 and To Honor and Serve in the 2011 Pennsylvania Derby.
In Monday’s ninth race, a first-level allowance that carries a purse of $86,000, Mott brings back last-out maiden winner Nexrad to face 11 others going a mile and 70 yards on turf.
The 3-year-old Nexrad has recorded four consecutive Beyer Speed Figures of 72 or 73, and while that wasn’t good enough at Keeneland or Churchill Downs, it was more than sufficient for him to defeat maidens by 3 1/4 lengths as the 4-5 favorite at Parx on Aug. 2.
Nexrad’s stiffest competition figures to come from the 3-year-old C’Mon Boys, who has a license to move forward while making just his second start since February. C’Mon Boys, from the high-percentage barn of Alan Goldberg, is out of the superb turf mare Sand Springs. She won nine races on turf and $1.2 million, including the Grade 2 Just a Game and Grade 2 Lake Placid.
Others who merit respect include the Jonathan Sheppard-trained Forest Rim, who rallied from ninth to be beaten less than two lengths July 22 while making his first start since February; Mr Maybe, narrowly beaten two weeks ago in a high-priced starter allowance at Saratoga; and Scoria, who returns to allowance company after winning two of his last three starts against high-priced claimers.
Race 9
KEY CONTENDERS
Nexrad (Last 3 Beyers: 72-73-72)
◗ Mott shows a good 3-for-13 record (23 percent) with a $3.23 return on investment with last-out maiden winners back in fewer than 30 days in a turf route. This 3-year-old might need to run faster, however, as there are several others in this field with higher last-out Beyers.
Mr Maybe (Last 3 Beyers: 80-77-74)
◗ Wheels back 15 days after missing by a head in a one-mile race in which his final fraction was a swift 22.95 seconds. Trainer Butch Reid is 9 for 30 (30 percent) with $2.47 ROI with route runners back in 15 days or fewer, including 3 for 7 in allowance races.
C’Mon Boys (Last 3 Beyers: 69-66-43)
◗ New Jersey horseman Goldberg is 11 for 36 (31 percent) with a $2.92 ROI with turf runners at Parx. The horse has worked sharply twice since Aug. 15 for the second start of his form cycle.
Scoria (Last 3 Beyers: 78-74-80)
◗ Fourth but not badly beaten in his two previous attempts to clear his first allowance condition at Keeneland and Monmouth. Two of his last three Beyers favorably compare to the par of 80 for this class level at Parx.
Forest Rim (Last 3 Beyers: 74-74-85)
◗ Beaten as the even-money favorite at Penn National in a race in which the two horses who finished ahead of him returned to win again and run a close second with Beyers of 79 and 78.