Saturday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Final Frontier should sit the right trip in Belmont Turf Sprint Championship

Belmont | Race 5 | Post Time 2:32 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up

The word was out when Shekky Shebaz (#5) arrived in Saratoga for that claimer in July. He won in impressive fashion and was acquired by Michael Dubb et al and trainer Jason Servis soon after. His debut for the new connections in the Lucky Coin resulted in a resounding victory, but he did benefit from a lack of speed in that race. He may have to work harder to make the lead here with Gidu (#2) in the race, but even that one could be hard-pressed to get in front if this horse displays the same gate speed he showed last time. The stretch-out to six furlongs is a minor hurdle, but there’s no denying that he’s the “now” horse. I’m just not sure I want him at a short price.

The beaten favorite in the Lucky Coin was Disco Partner (#7). The venerable New York-bred will be attempting to win this race for the third consecutive year, but he’s winless in 2019 and it’s probably fair to say that he’s lost a step. It would be great to see this fan favorite go out with one last hurrah, but he’s hard to endorse from a wagering standpoint.

I’m trying to beat this pair with FINAL FRONTIER (#3). The Godolphin colt has found his niche as a turf sprinter, earning a series of TimeformUS Speed Figures that put him squarely in the mix against this group. He was off about a length behind Shekky Shebaz last time and he was never able to get closer as that one led throughout. He will have to hope a horse like Gidu or perhaps his stablemate Fully Vested pesters the favorite on the front end, and that’s a possibility according to the Pace Projector. Final Frontier should sit a good stalking trip regardless, and I believe he can turn the tables on the favorite going this six-furlong distance.

THE PLAY

Win: 3

Exacta Key Box: 3 with 2,5,7

Trifecta: 3 with 5,7 with 2,4,5,6,7