Sunday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Paratus can rebound from troubled trip

Aqueduct | Race 1 | Post Time 11:50 a.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs | Not already a TimeformUS member? Sign up

Three runners in this field exit the 10th race on Nov. 7 won by longshot Inflation Adjusted. That was an oddly run affair, in which a few players had significant trouble.

PARATUS (#3) took money that day, going off at 4-1, but beat just one horse home while finishing behind a pair of rivals that he meets again here. However, this Bill Mott trainee had a significant excuse. The field was tightly bunched throughout and Paratus was always buried inside at the back of the pack. Junior Alvarado was totally blocked in traffic coming to the quarter pole and he never had a chance to extricate this horse from that position. Though it’s not noted in the chart comments for that race, Paratus was completely stymied in traffic for the entire stretch run. He’s obviously better than that based on his debut, in which he closed well for fourth in a race that has produced some decent runners, including next-out winner Fort Washington. As long as he works out a trip this time I think Paratus will be tough to beat.

I prefer him to City At Night (#5), who finished the best of those horses exiting that Nov. 7 event. However, he got a good trip and was just one-paced through the lane. He’s also had more chances than the rest, so he probably doesn’t have as much upside as a few others in here.

My Brother Cam (#7) is an intriguing new face as he makes his career debut for trainer Michael Dickinson. The dam never won on turf, but she’s a half-sister to a G3 turf winner in France. I won’t be surprised if he runs well, and I’ll use him with my top pick.

THE PLAY

Win: 3

Exacta: 3 with 1,5,6,7

Trifecta: 3 with 5,7 with 1,5,6,7