Thursday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Synthesis can rebound on the stretch-out
Aqueduct | Race 8 | Post Time 3:42 p.m. (ET)
TimeformUS PPs are now available on drf.com. Go to shop.drf.com and use coupon code NYRATF23 to get one free TimeformUS card.
The primary question in this optional claimer centers around morning line favorite Winit (#10), and what we might get from him as he returns from a layoff. This grey son of Tapit has always had ability, but putting it all together in the afternoons has been a problem. Last year, he was often slow away from the gate, and would then get too keen, forcing his riders to make premature moves. He showed talent whenever he was able to relax and stay focused, but he seemed to sabotage himself more often than not. However, perhaps we should expect a different Winit now that he’s returning as a new gelding. Horses with his behavioral issues can often benefit from being gelded, and his impressive series of workouts leading into this return would seem to suggest he’s doing well. Yet he still is coming off a layoff for a barn whose runners typically need a start, and it’s not like he’s going to be some enticing price.
I’m more interested in another layoff runner, who actually finished just behind Winit when last seen. I Am the Law (#2) appeared to be in career form when last seen, overcoming his previous habit of settling for minor awards. Once the connections focused on dirt routes with him, he seemed to take that next step forward. He ran his best race going 9 furlongs, but did handle the mile when last seen, closing well through the slop after negotiating some traffic. The big difference between he and Winit is that his trainer John Terranova is 10 for 29 (34%, $3.58 ROI) off 180+ day layoffs on dirt over the past 5 years.
There are others to consider with more recency and a few will be bigger prices. My top pick is Synthesis (#3). His recent form looks pretty discouraging, but I think there are some reasons to believe he can turn things around here. Stretching out to a mile might seem counterintuitive, but he was actually quite proficient at route distances before entering David Jacobson’s barn. He’s run some of his best races during the last year going 7 furlongs, so I don’t think the mile is much of a stretch. It’s surely a better fit than those Grade 1 races he contested over the summer, or that 5 1/2 furlong sprint at Laurel without much pace. Notably, the last time he stretched out following a Laurel sprint at that distance, he rebounded with a 10-1 victory in one of his career-best efforts this spring. I think he can be placed more forwardly going this distance, and I like the rider switch to Jose Lezcano.