Thursday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: He’smyhoneybadger drops second off the claim

Belmont at the Big A | Race 3 | Post Time 1:40 p.m. (ET)

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David Jacobson holds a strong hand in this optional claimer, sending out an entry that figures to take money. Colonel Bowman (#1) is clearly the stronger half of this pair, having won 6 of his 9 starts this year since coming into the Jacobson barn. However, he’s now lost two in a row, including a recent starter allowance race at Delaware in which he was the 3-5 favorite. The 5-furlong distance of that race may have been too short for him, but it is fair to wonder if he’s starting to lose a step after maintaining such consistent form for most of the year. Entrymate Business Model (#1A) also has a chance, but his lack of early speed could be an issue in this 6-furlong contest.

Bold Journey (#3) is the most logical alternative to the entry. He rebounded from a poor effort at this level two back with a much better performance last time. He got a decent pace setup and came with his usual late run. He did have to alter course slightly in the stretch, but it certainly didn’t cost him the race. Unfortunately, he’s another who lacks early speed in a race that doesn’t feature much pace.

I wish I could make more of a case for King Angelo (#4), who has competitive prior form. It just feels like he’s gone the wrong way recently, and I’m most concerned that he appears to have lost the early speed he once possessed.

My top pick is He’smyhoneybadger (#6). This horse was in good form for Joe Sharp earlier this year, but ran poorly in his first start off the claim for Tom Amoss at Ellis Park in June. He rebounded at Saratoga, winning at this level going 7 furlongs on Aug. 13 He was pretty game to get the job done that day, turning back multiple challenges to get his nose on the line first. He was claimed out of that race by Rob Atras and moved up to a tougher level last time. Dismissed at 17-1, he couldn’t quite keep up with pace early and dropped back around the far turn. He was also racing along the rail in a race that featured a distinct outside flow, which may have worked against him. All things considered, he battled on determinedly to finish less than a length away from second place. It was encouraging that he held his form for the new barn, and I expect better now that he’s dropping slightly. He’s also drawn well outside in a race that doesn’t feature much pace, giving a savvy rider like Kendrick Carmouche plenty of options.