Sunday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: My Sweet Wife cuts back to appropriate distance

Belmont | Race 5 | Post Time 3:03 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up

#10 Blissful Change looks competitive as she drops in class for trainer Joe Sharp. This barn has had plenty of success in turf sprints at NYRA over the past 5 years, and she’s spotted realistically for her first start on this circuit. She was never really involved against a tougher field at Churchill Downs last time, but I don’t want to be too hard on her for that effort, as she had run better three starts back at Fair Grounds. I’m not totally convinced, but she makes enough sense to include.

Among those with early speed, #8 Get the Candy could be most dangerous. Stretching back out to 7 furlongs is a question for her, but she was facing a tougher field last time and goes out for the dangerous Michelle Nevin barn.

My top pick is #12 MY SWEET WIFE. I could make some minor excuses for this mare when she was running for trainer Jorge Abreu late last year. She didn’t get the right trip on Oct. 22 going this distance, and then she was compromised by a lack of pace going shorter at Aqueduct. Since then she’s done a bit better racing in Florida, and now makes her second start off the claim for Peter Walder. I thought she ran well first off the claim in April when beaten by a quality rival in Passion Plus. This stable has had some success in New York recently, and I love this 5-year-old mare getting back to the 7-furlong distance. She won going this trip twice on the dirt earlier in her career, but she’s much more of a turf horse these days. I’ll use her with the two aforementioned runners, as well as first-time turfer #4 Jacrodra’s Devil, who has plenty of pedigree for this surface.

THE PLAY

WIN: #12 My Sweet Wife, at 5-2 or greater

USE: 4,8,10