Thursday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Crushed It can bounce back with clean break

Aqueduct | Race 2 | Post Time 1:42 p.m. (ET)

I'll be interested to see how the public approaches Wynstock (#5), who I tentatively pegged as the morning -line favorite in this $100,000 claiming race. He's sharply moving up in class, but he did absolutely romp against weaker foes last time, drawing off to win by over seven lengths with a 113 TimeformUS Speed Figure. A repeat of that performance could beat this field, but I'm wondering if he will be as effective cutting back slightly to a one-turn mile.

Bourbon Day (#3) offers a little more appeal as he also turns back from longer races. He has been successful going shorter in the past, and he was facing a pretty tough field in the Queens County last time. He won convincingly first off the trainer switch to Linda Rice two back, and he might play out as the horse to beat if he can get back to that 118 TimeformUS Speed Figure.

Ridgewood Runner (#1) was scratched out of last week's Stymie to run here instead, and it does seem like a more reasonable spot for this recent starter allowance winner. He has registered two romping victories in a row, but the waters get much deeper here, and he has to contend with other speed drawn outside of him.

Crushed It (#6) disappointed as the 5-2 second choice in that Jan. 11 race at this level, but he lost all chance at the start. He got brushed coming out of the gate and then was shuffled to the back of the pack early. That's not a position from which he'd had much success, but he actually did well to slice through the pack on the turn, moving into contention before flattening out late. He is now drawn much better in an outside post, which should give Flavien Prat the option to stalk outside as a few speedsters are sent forward inside of him. I think he's better than his last couple of results indicate, and the price should be fair even with that leading rider aboard.