Thursday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Pharoah’s Heart turns back in distance for new barn

Aqueduct | Race 2 | Post Time 1:50 p.m. (ET)

Grade 1 Spinaway winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Leave No Trace (#4) completely lost her form as a 3-year-old. Yet she seems to be coming back around as an older horse. She finally got back to the winner’s circle last time, albeit with a perfect trip stalking outside a moderate pace. Her TimeformUS Speed Figure of 107 is solid for the level, but that number was mildly tarnished last weekend when second-place Dame Cinco regressed 13 points and third-place Starship Defiant regressed three points, both disappointing in a similar spot. Now the waters get deeper and it’s unclear if Leave No Trace can be as successful against a tougher group.

Royal Poppy (#1) may vie for favoritism with that one, and is clearly more reliable than her main rival. Her form has been steady recently, and she looks ready to handle this step up in class after repeating her top TimeformUS Speed Figure of 106 last time. That race has since been flattered as second-place Tough Street won two starts later, third-place Bustin Bay won next out, and sixth-place Stonewall Star won a stakes with an 107 TimeformUS Figure in her next start. The inside post perhaps isn’t ideal for a filly who has benefited from outside stalking trips recently, but she probably isn’t quick enough to make the lead anyway.

The likely pacesetter Quick Munny (#5) comes in with a flashy set of TimeformUS Speed Figures, reflecting upgrades due to getting involved in some fast paces recently. Yet she still has to find more at the finish if she’s to hang on at this level, and there are a couple of rivals in here who should keep her honest up front again.

Mosienko (#3) would appreciate any pace that develops up front. Her best days may be behind her, but she proved she was still capable of winning at this level when posting an 11-1 upset in December. She subsequently was reported to have bled in the Interborough and now returns from a layoff. She’s typically a fair price and is far from impossible.

My top pick is Pharoah’s Heart (#6). This 7-year-old mare has concentrated on longer races recently, but she has sprinted effectively in the past, even earning her career-best 113 TimeformUS Speed Figure at 6 1/2 furlongs back in 2021. While she generally hasn’t approached that form since, she did earn her best number in quite a while when posting a 111 TimeformUS Speed Figure for her return victory in January. Dropping into a softer optional claimer that day, she just dominated up front, though she’s not one who needs the lead to be successful. She got claimed out of that spot by David Jacobson, who interestingly moves her up in class and turns her back in distance. The class hike has to be seen as a sign of confidence, and Jacobson has had success doing this. He’s 10 for 29 (34%, $4.17 ROI) first off the claim with horses going from claiming to allowance status, and 6 for 14 (43%, $6.71 ROI) making that move at NYRA over the past five years.