Thursday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Film Star can bounce back to form with favorable setup

Aqueduct | Race 7 | Post Time 3:09 p.m. (ET)

Bendoog (#3) is probably the horse to beat, but he's tough to trust as a win candidate, having settled for so many minor awards at short prices. He's just 1 for his last 11, and I didn't think he ran that much better than main rival Full Screen (#6) when they met at Churchill last time. That gelding was making just his second start off the claim for Brad Cox. He was out of position early before making a mild run through traffic. Nine furlongs is a bit of a question mark for him, but he isn't catching the toughest field for the level.

I prefer Film Star (#2) to both of these. He would obviously be easier to endorse if you could have full confidence that he was ready to bounce back following a poor showing last time. That was his first start for a different barn after getting claimed away from Linda Rice, who had him for the last few seasons. That first performance for Rob Atras looks uncharacteristically sluggish on paper, but he was too aggressively handled trying to chase an honest pace at Parx. There isn't much speed in this race, and he generally is dangerous when he can get comfortable up front going this distance.