Spring Quality well spotted for second career start

It appears that Spring Quality has found his spot. Entered and scratched out of a six-furlong optional-claiming race at Parx in which he would have been favored last Sunday, Spring Quality on Friday will get an extra furlong of ground to work with in a similar first-level optional $35,000 claimer at Laurel Park.

A 3-year-old son of Quality Road bred and owned by George Strawbridge Jr. and trained by Graham Motion, Spring Quality is 1 for 1 after winning at Keeneland in October. His debut score came at the same distance as Friday’s eighth race, and he needed much of the stretch before he made the lead.

Spring Quality showed a lot of potential in his first start, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses here. Unhurried by Rosie Napravnik while lacking early speed, Spring Quality began to advance on the turn, came five wide into the stretch, and then wore down Hidden Danger to win going away by 2 1/4 lengths.

It appeared that Spring Quality was finding his best stride just as the race was coming to an end. The final furlong was timed in 11.98 seconds, and he was still about 1 1/2 lengths behind at the eighth pole.

Hidden Danger came back as the 6-5 favorite to win a maiden race Nov. 29 at Churchill Downs.

Sheldon Russell rides Spring Quality on Friday.

Savvy Street and Don’t Be Fooled should offer Spring Quality a good test. They both come out of a slow-early, fast-late optional-claiming race at a mile.

Savvy Street hooked up with the favored Bodhisattva five-sixteenths of a mile from the finish and battled hard, with Bodhisattva coming away with a neck decision. The first six furlongs of that race went in 1:14.15, and the final time was 1:38.47, meaning Bodhisattva and Savvy Street came home in a good 24.32.

Trainer Donald Barr has given Victor Carrasco the mount on Savvy Street.

Don’t Be Fooled finished third, beaten 2 3/4 lengths by Savvy Street, in that race. Trainer Hamilton Smith equips him with blinkers Friday, which may help narrow the distance between them.