Wednesday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: County Court benefits from more distance and yielding ground

Belmont Park | Race 7 | Post Time 4:46 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs

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If Three Perfections (#11) draws into this race – he’s not yet scratched as of late morning – he will obviously be a formidable presence. This Jimmy Jerkens trainee has run faster speed figures than his rivals on many occasions, and he possesses a significant class edge. However, I do have some reservations. While he’s run reasonably well since returning from a one-year layoff this summer, he has obviously lost a step. Furthermore, he has to stretch out to nine furlongs in this race, and I’m a little wary of him going that far, especially as he has to break from the disadvantageous outside post position. I’m using him, but I prefer others.

Gosilently (#10) was also unlucky to draw a wide post position, but at least he has the speed to get into early position toward the front. He’s consistently competitive, but he’s a hard horse to trust as a win candidate given his affinity for finishing second and third.

Lil Commissioner (#3) is getting some minor class relief after facing some salty starter-allowance foes in his last two starts. The distance is a question mark for him as well, but he has obviously improved as a 3-year-old for Robertino Diodoro, and his tactical speed should ensure that he sits a good trip.

I’m using the aforementioned runners, but I want to take a shot with COUNTY COURT (#4) as he makes his second start since a brief freshening. While he’s running for a higher claiming tag than the $32,000 that he competed for last time, this is actually a slight drop in class. I feel that this gelding really moves up when there is some give in the turf course, and that is likely to be the case after the turf courses were hit with even more rain last night. I was encouraged by the improvement that County Court showed last time as he just ran out of real estate in the final furlong. He figures to appreciate the slight stretch-out to 1 1/8 miles, and Dylan Davis could have him a bit closer to the pace this time if they don’t go too quickly up front.

THE PLAY

Win: 4

Exacta Key Box: 4 with 3,5,10,11

Trifecta: 4 with 3,11 with 1,3,5,10,11