Aqueduct | Race 6 | Post Time 2:17 p.m. (ET)  TimeformUS PPs are now available on drf.com. Go to shop.drf.com and use coupon code NYRATF23 to get one free TimeformUS card. It’s hard to know exactly how the public will approach this seemingly wide open N1X allowance event. Among those who figure to be short prices, the one that I don’t want is So High (#7), who towers over the field on speed figures. However, he earned those numbers in graded stakes over marathon distances where he was able to use his early speed as a weapon. That same strategy isn’t going to work here going shorter, and he’s just not as effective coming from off the pace. I think the horse to beat is Barrage (#10), who held his own against some tough rivals in the Ashley T. Cole last time. He was never really in the hunt to win the race, but he was finishing with good interest in a race that was dominated by horses with forward position. He had only faced New York-breds prior to that, but he has steadily been improving under Ray Handal’s care and will be tough here if able to repeat the 117 TimeformUS Speed Figure he earned two back.  I’m not sure what to do with Cyber Ninja (#11), who clearly has the most upside of the main contenders. This 3-year-old has been improving since getting back on turf in his last couple of starts. He just lacks any early speed, and Jose Ortiz rides him in a way that requires the horse to make up a ton of ground in the stretch. He wasn’t able to do that last time against a tougher field going 1 3/8 miles, and I’m not confident that less distance necessarily benefits him. The good news is that he might get some more pace ahead of him. My top pick is Danzigwiththestars (#4). He’s obviously had plenty of chances at this level, but now he’s switching into the barn of Richard Dutrow Jr., who has been a horseplayer’s friend since returning to training this year. This situation won’t last forever but his horses have been consistently running well and going off at overlaid prices in recent months. This horse hasn’t yet finished on the board this year, but he ran deceptively well on June 17 after a wide trip and then caught a tough field at Saratoga in August. He seemingly took a step backwards last time, but he got the wrong trip and was always out of position in a race dominated up front. Now he picks up Irad Ortiz Jr. off a short layoff.