Sanavi (7) looks like the horse to beat as he moves up in class off the claim. It appears that he was originally in Phil D’Amato’s barn coming out of that last race and trained in California until late June, but has since been transferred to Linda Rice. I always like to see Rice get aggressive with horses like this off a claim, and he’s one that should have no trouble handling the distance. He’s part of my play, but I’m taking a shot against him on the win end with Harangue.

I thought HARANGUE (3) was somewhat interesting last time against a much tougher N1X allowance field, and he actually didn’t disgrace himself in defeat. This horse had been running against cheaper foes in the majority of his prior starts, so his new connections showed plenty of confidence stepping him up in class last time. He’s a horse that seems to run at a steady pace without making any wild moves, so the fast early pace of that race may not have suited him. He actually finished with some interest and quickly galloped out well ahead of the field after the wire. He clearly possesses the stamina to handle this 9 furlongs and I expect Ricardo Santana, Jr. to have him placed a bit closer to the pace this time. He's an unknown over a wet track like this, but he's also a very generous price.

The other horse that I want to include prominently is Tiz No Bluff (6). I know that his New York form has been somewhat disappointing, but this horse may not care for a wet track, which he has encountered in his last two starts. Obviously the prospect of rain on Monday is a concern once again, but I really think that he’s a runner that will appreciate the stretch-out to 9 furlongs, and should not be dismissed.