Wednesday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Jackson’s Dixie due for a less eventful trip
Aqueduct | Race 5 | Post Time 2:40 p.m. (ET)
The horse to beat in this $32k claimer is dropdown Luna Moth (#6), who has been ambitiously placed in high-level optional claiming company in her last few starts. She was claimed for this same $32k tag at Churchill Downs this spring, and has been facing tougher company in all of her starts since then. She actually ran quite well at a big price on Sep. 1 at Saratoga, closing from far back to get up for third against much better company than this. However, she was off for two months after that and didn’t run nearly as well last time. Now she’s dropping back down to a level at which she should be competitive.
Rick Dutrow will send out just one of the two horses he entered. Play Good Pay Good (#4) drops in class following a poor showing against starter allowance foes last time, but she did perform much better in her prior start against high-level claimers. She’s run plenty of races that make her a contender here, and this 7-furlong distance suits her. She just has to work out a trip from just off the pace. She’s fairly logical but I’m reticent to take too short a price on a deep closer.
I originally had been concerned that this race might be too tough for Jackson’s Dixie (#3) after she ran so well in her most recent race against $25k NY-bred claimers. However, some key scratches have made this a more attainable goal for a horse moving up in class. She was clearly best in the last race after her apprentice rider lost his left iron at the start and was never able to get back in the stirrups. This mare ran on under her own power, making a wide move from last into second before flattening out behind today’s rival Maggie T. She probably would have won that day with a clean trip, and she figures to be a better price than the rival who beat her due to the connections. She possesses a lot more early speed than she displayed last time and there isn’t much that pace left in this field after scratches.