Jannes Paul (#3, ML 8-1) returns in Wednesday's sixth race at ThistleDown, a six-furlong optional claimer. It will be her first start since finishing fourth by 9 1/4 lengths in an allowance May 17 at Mountaineer Park. The third-, fifth-, and sixth-place finishers from that race came back to win their next starts.
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Trainer Jason Servis saddles Starship Pleasant (#3, ML 8-1) in Wednesday's seventh race at Belmont Park, a six-furlong claiming race on turf. Since Jan. 1, 2014, Servis is winning at a 27 percent clip when saddling a horse switching from route to sprint, for a return on investment of $3.66.
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FRISKY MAGICIAN
Trainer: Mike Trombetta
Last race: June 10, 2nd
Finish: 5th by 2 1/4
Beyer: 50
This Maryland-based New York-bred was let go at 11-1 first out and showed good speed, setting the pace to the stretch call before weakening late and coming out on the short end of a four-way photo for second.
MICKS MIRACLE
Trainer: Phil D’Amato
Last race: June 11, 1st
Finish: 3rd by 2
Beyer: 85
A nightmare trip cost this colt all chance in a N1X sprint. Off slowly from the rail, he rushed inside, was shuffled back on the turn, and lost ground while wide into the lane. He was tons best.
MISS MISCHIEF
Trainer: Dale Capuano
Last race: June 13, 9th
Finish: 3rd by 3/4
Beyer: 84
She was delayed in traffic before closing steadily in the 1 1/16-mile Trillium Stakes. The Presque Isle Downs-based stakes winner should be poised for a peak performance next time in the third start of her form cycle.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of working on DRF Live with Dan Illman, one of the sharpest handicappers at the Daily Racing Form. Even in the company of my talented colleague, I still managed to bungle enough plays to leave me shaking my head and asking, “What was I thinking?”
Missing an opportunity is like looking out the window of a bus that’s passing a nice restaurant but instead of getting off, you remain seated and watch your fantasy meal fade away into oblivion. The restaurant this weekend was the Poker Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday.
COMMENT: Despite the presence of other significant speed, veteran King Kreesa proved quickest and led them on merry chase to get the victory, his first in almost 10 months. He won this race in 2013 using similar front-running tactics.
Really only found three middle races on the program up my alley, so I’m going to concentrate on races 5, 6, and 7.
ANALYSIS (12) is my top pick in race 5, an optional claimer on the inner turf for New York-breds. He hasn’t been out since last fall, but it bodes well that he came back from an even longer absence to win over the same course last spring. I’m also going to use MACAGONE (3), MAJESTIC RAFFY (5), ELROI (9), and HYMAN ROTH (11) to a lesser extent.
Before I get to some impressions of Saturday’s stakes action, a word about American Pharoah and, specifically, his connections.
It is tremendous the way American Pharoah’s people have shared their Triple Crown hero, and themselves, with the public. I understand it’s probably much easier to be magnanimous after winning the Triple Crown. But nowhere is it written that this all had to play out the beautiful way it has over the last week.
