Sunday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Yellow Card ready for stakes test in Mahony
Saratoga | Race 8 | Post Time 5:05 p.m. (ET)
The two horses likely to attract the most support in the Mahony both chased home the filly Star of Mystery in last month’s Grade 3 Quick Call. Mansa Musa (#7) was closest to that heavy favorite at the wire, checking in second beaten just 1 1/2 lengths. The race came up extremely fast for the level, with this horse earning a towering 122 TimeformUS Speed Figure for his performance. A repeat of that number will make him awfully tough for this field to beat. I just want to see it again, since the race produced a career best not just for him, but for nearly every horse in the field.
That was also the case for Fandom (#1), who settled for third as the second choice in the wagering behind Star of Mystery. This colt was a little disappointing in his first start since a trainer switch to Brad Cox, but he did have a valid excuse when getting away slowly after hitting the gate at the start. I can appreciate that he’s finally putting races back to back without a layoff in between, and I do think he has some upside in his second start for Cox. However, he has to overcome a tough rail draw, and the addition of blinkers may not be ideal if he needs to settle behind horses again.
My top pick is Yellow Card (#3), who ships in from Churchill. The son of stakes-placed turf sprinter Lost Treasure began his career racing on synthetic at Turfway Park where he progressed quickly to break his maiden in style in his second career start. They tried dirt with him two back and he actually ran well on a surface that he probably doesn’t prefer. He was contesting a fast pace before fading at seven furlongs behind subsequent stakes winner Raging Torrent. They finally got him on turf last time in a five-furlong sprint, and he seemed to take to the surface with enthusiasm. He didn’t break that sharply, rated at the back early, but found another gear in upper stretch to slice through the pack with a powerful closing kick. He now steps up in class, but he’s earned competitive speed figures in his last two starts. There also appears to be a fair amount of speed in here to set up his late run, indicated by a contentious front end on the TimeformUS Pace Projector.