Sunday’s TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Complicit can improve off an encouraging debut last fall

Belmont | Race 2 | Post Time 2:04 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs

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I’ve been waiting for COMPLICIT (#8) to run back since her debut, which was a deceptively strong effort. While her stablemate, the eventual winner, was making an early backstretch move, Complicit was instead reserved toward the back of the pack. While that’s typically the right move, she ended up getting shuffled too far back and was left with a lot of ground to make up late. All things considered, I thought she really was finishing well once in the clear, and she continued to gallop out strongly after the wire. If she gets any pace to close into here, I think she’ll be tough to hold off.

I’ll use her in exotics with a few of the other contenders. Defrock (#2) is the likely speed breaking from the inside. She ran well at Saratoga last summer and then resented rating tactics in her following start in Kentucky. She’s getting back on her preferred surface. Soar Once More (#3) could take another step forward after running on well to be fourth after a wide trip last time. She ran the better race than Resonate, who is also in the lineup. I’ll also use Monmouth shipper Misericordia (#5), who was facing a weaker field in her debut, but did have some trouble in that race. She may ultimately want to go farther than this, but she figures to give a better account of herself.

THE PLAY

Win: 8

Exacta Key Box: 8 with 2,3,5,6

Trifecta: 8 with 2,3,5 with 2,3,5,6,9