Saturday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Barb should relish added ground in second start

Aqueduct | Race 4 | Post Time 2:46 p.m. (ET)

The Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown entry figures to attract plenty of support in this one-mile maiden affair. Duration (No. 1) is the half of this duo with experience, having improved in each start despite trying a variety of surfaces. Brown debuted him on dirt last summer, but he subsequently tried grass and synthetic before going back to dirt last time at Gulfstream. He showed improved early speed that day, dueling for the lead before fading to fourth. He was just edged out for second by Saturday’s rival Hop Sing (No. 7), who was making his return from a layoff that day. I just have some concerns about the overall quality of that race. Even though the horse who dead-heated with Hop Sing for the runner-up slot returned to win, he did so regressing by 8 TimeformUS Speed Figure points. I prefer horses coming from other directions.

I actually prefer the new face in the Chad Brown entry, Strategic Focus (No. 1A). This first-time starter was purchased for $500K and is a full brother to this barn’s recent Top Flight winner Headline Numbers. He’s been working quickly for his debut and is drawn well outside under Dylan Davis. Brown is 10 for 37 (27 percent, $2.14 ROI) with first-time starters in one-mile dirt races at Aqueduct over the last five years.

Sturdy (No. 5) would be formidable in this spot if able to get back to his best form from early in his career. He chased home future Grade 1 winners Locked and Domestic Product in the first two starts of his career and then hit the wire with the talented duo of Corporate Power and Batten Down at Gulfstream. He was compromised by a slow pace when his connections got ambitious in the Tampa Bay Derby before going to the sidelines. His return in February was pretty lackluster, but he might have needed the race off a layoff.

My top pick is second-time starter Barb (No. 6). This gelding caught a tough rival when he debuted here in late March, left in the wake of a dominant performance by heavy favorite One Nine Hundred. Yet the horse showed some likeable attributes in defeat, breaking sharply and showing good early speed while chasing wide. He couldn’t match the winner’s acceleration in upper stretch, but he stayed on nicely through the wire and galloped out best of all after the finish. His stride length is impressive, so he certainly has the physical attributes to handle added ground. He also has pedigree to do so as a half-brother to multiple route winner Venge. He adds blinkers and Lasix and may be a fair price for lower-profile connections.