Race 4: #11 Maximus Momentus (10-1)
Value play in this wide open field of 13 runners as #11 Maximus Momentus is a tricky horse to figure out, but he is capable of winning on his best day. It appears that there should be plenty of speed in this race to set it up for his closing kick, and the large field size should only make the pace even hotter. He switches to Wilson who will have to navigate some traffic at some point, but he also needs a form reversal from the latest effort. He was favored at this level and did not run whatsoever despite a decent enough trip. He also didn’t run well two back, but I’m more willing to forgive him for that effort since it came against better competition and he actually earned a figure that gives him a big shot in here. If he can duplicate the performance from three starts ago, he just might find himself in the winner’s circle. That race also came against tougher and he was against the race flow that day, yet he still flew home to just miss by a nose. He’s got plenty of races in his past similar to that one, it’s just a matter of whether his most recent start was an outlier or a sign of things to come. Again, I’m not sure what to make of his latest effort so I’m going to need at least 7-1 on this guy, but he should get a good set-up and I’m willing to take a shot if he’s a decent price.
Race 7: #7 Financial Advice (7/2)
Note this race has been taken off the turf and handicapped for synthetic, be sure to check back for scratches.
In a race projected to be run at a modest clip, I like #7 Financial Advice (7/2) to pull off a minor upset over the favorite #6 Wickenheiser (2-1). I was a big fan of Wickenheiser earlier this year and thought she had a shot in the King’s Plate, but she was a total no show that day and her numbers have plateaued. While Financial Advice is a tad slower on figures, she’s still lightly raced and her latest performance was a step in the right direction. The French filly closed from well out of it and was wide on the final turn to just get up and break her maiden by a nose, improving her figure seven points in the process. She’s shown more speed in her prior races, including a good effort two back when she dueled through quick fractions and just got a little tired late in her first start north of the border. Again, this field is full of deep closers and I expect this filly to be forwardly placed throughout, but she also possesses a solid kick of her own. That combo can be lethal in these types of races, and I think she deserves a long look at 7/2.
