Wednesday TimeformUS Highlight Horse: Ready to Escape should step forward off troubled debut

Aqueduct | Race 7 | Post Time 4:44 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs

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There are some intriguing first-time starters among this group, but I have go give the edge to those with experience. The horse to beat, and the runner that I would bet at anything around his 3-1 morning line, is READY TO ESCAPE (#7).

The published running line does not do this colt’s debut performance justice. He was actually off about a length slowly and was hustled into position by Manny Franco in the first furlong. From there, he raced keenly before getting shuffled back in traffic coming to the top of the stretch. Ready to Escape was racing greenly through the first half-mile, carrying his head very high. However, once in the clear, he leveled off well in the final quarter-mile to run into third. Overall, the performance was much stronger than it seems, and I think this well-bred colt will be tough to beat in his second start.

I’ll use him with a few others, including Surface Strike (#2), who is bred for dirt and makes just his second start after a single turf start last summer, and Ferrad’s Party (#1), who battled with Blewitt before getting sent to the sidelines. It will also be worth watching the board to monitor action on firsters Charlie McCoy (#5), a half-brother to My Boy Tate, and A True Giant (#8), a full brother to Giant Expectations.

THE PLAY

Win: 7

Exacta: 7 with 1,2,5,8