Threefiveindia kicks off 2017 season in allowance sprint

A shaky sprint division in the East and Midwest gains another player Thursday when Threefiveindia makes his first start of 2017 at Belmont Park.

Threefiveindia is one of six entrants in a third-level allowance race that’s also open to $80,000 claimers and carded for six furlongs on dirt. With strong 2016 form and Chad Brown as his trainer, he is listed at just 2-5 on the track’s morning line.

Threefiveindia shares common ground with other sprinters at the top of the division (think A. P. Indian, Awesome Slew, Mind Your Biscuits, and Unified) in that his best trip seems to be something longer than six furlongs. Bettors, though, generally will assume that his talent edge Thursday will more than compensate and will be willing to look past the fact that the race surely is a steppingstone to more important goals.

Threefiveindia did win his career debut over 5 1/2 furlongs, but that was a maiden race at Ellis Park in August 2015. Last year, after joining Brown’s stable during the summer, Threefiveindia turned in three strong performances. He won a second-level Saratoga allowance race over 6 1/2 furlongs, then was third going six furlongs against 3-year-olds in the Gallant Bob at Parx Racing and second to Stallwalkin’ Dude over seven furlongs in the Bold Ruler at Belmont Park.

Threefiveindia, by Street Hero, closed out his 3-year-old campaign by regressing in the Cigar Mile, tiring to finish sixth.

His Gallant Bob run over Thursday’s distance produced a career-best 99 Beyer Speed Figure, and it came with a stumbling start that compromised Threefiveindia’s chances. Threefiveindia has been on a steady work pattern since April 2 and, with an alert break under Irad Ortiz Jr., could fall into a perfect pressing trip just outside likely leader Hey Jabber Jaw.

Bettors interested in opposing the odds-on favorite will struggle to make a solid case for any of his five foes, and the best approach might be to find an exacta partner for Threefiveindia.

Candid Desire is listed at 15-1 on the morning line, and if those odds reflect his popularity in the exacta pool, he could be the right one. Candid Desire raced April 28 at Belmont in the Affirmed Success, a New York-bred six-furlong sprint, and rallied from 11th to finish fifth, beaten one length. Candid Desire has better positional speed than he showed in the Affirmed Success as well as a relatively snappy half-mile workout since his last start.

Another scenario has Hey Jabber Jaw getting loose on an easy lead and reserving enough energy to hold off all chasers save Threefiveindia.

There is more allowance-race action on the card, including a second-level dirt sprint (race 6) for fillies and mares. That race brings out Silvertoni for the first start of her 3-year-old season. Trained by Wesley Ward, Silvertoni was a precocious 2-year-old and was last seen Aug. 16 finishing second in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga.