Sunday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Miss Marissa should appreciate class relief in Ruthless Stakes

Aqueduct | Race 7 | Post Time 3:53 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up

There are many contenders to consider in this intriguing Ruthless Stakes, many of whom are making their stakes debuts. The Pace Projector is predicting a scenario favoring runners on or near the lead.

Cruise and Danze (#5) is predicted to be in front of this field early, and that could make her dangerous. She showed some promise when she broke her maiden at Laurel last November and was then compromised by chasing an extremely fast pace in the Smart Halo next time out. Her local debut in the slop was fairly encouraging, as she did well to rally up the rail after getting forced to rate down the backstretch. This time I would imagine Eric Cancel will attempt to make better use of her early speed.

However, the Pace Projector indicates MISS MARISSA (#9) be breathing down Cruise and Danze’s neck early and that could make Miss Marissa a serious foe. Trainer James Ryerson got ambitious and tried Miss Marissa in graded stakes in each of her last two starts. She just couldn’t run with some classier fillies in the Frizette two back and then her trip didn’t work out in the Demoiselle last time. She was shuffled back in the early going after Dylan Davis tried to hustle her out of the gate, and she just doesn’t want to go 1 1/8 miles anyway. She had previously been very effective going shorter early in her career, even finishing second to eventual champion British Idiom in her third career start at Saratoga. The seven furlongs figures to be perfect, and she should sit the right trip.

THE PLAY

Win: 9

Exacta Key Box: 9 with 2,5,8

Trifecta: 9 with 5,8 with 2,3,5,8