I’m not thrilled with many of the horses that are going to take money in this spot, assuming this race stays on turf. I suppose Moneigh Moproblems (2) in the horse to beat, but he’s had chances. I will say that he has been facing significantly tougher company in his recent starts, and he clearly has done his best work on the turf. I just think there are other ways to go in this complicated race.

Union Ranks (5) appeals to me a bit more as he actually ran very well in his second start going a mile. He set a legitimate pace that day and was run down by a couple of Chad Brown horses that have a bit of ability. However, he completely failed to show up in his only subsequent turf start and is now immediately dropped in for the $40,000 tag. There may be some holes in this runner, but I do think he’s a top threat to wire the field.

The horse that intrigues me most is FOUR KNIGHTS (11) off the claim by Joe Sharp. This barn knows how to win races in New York, and I think it’s acquired a horse that has not yet run to his true potential. This horse had trouble getting his act to together over the winter at Gulfstream, as he was rank and difficult to handle in a few races. He didn’t run badly in any of those starts, but always seemed to not save enough for the stretch drive. In his last turf start at Churchill on May 24, Julien Leparoux may have overcompensated for this runner’s early aggression by dragging him all the way back to the tail end of a strung-out field. That race actually held together well on the front end, and Four Knights made a pretty eye-catching move from the lane once Leparoux was able to work him into the clear. If he had been placed closer to the pace, he certainly would have been at least second that day. I think it’s interesting that Joe Sharp has gelded this horse since his last start and I expect him to put forth a better effort this time.