I think I spent more time deliberating over this race than any other on the card. There is a lot going on with many horses to consider, none of which come without flaws.

The horse to beat is probably Your Only Man (11), who returns at the same level after losing at 9-5 last time. This runner looked like he might be capable of better over the winter at Gulfstream, but things didn’t pan out and now he’s racing in claiming company. He didn’t run terribly last time, as the pace was actually legitimate for that distance, but I wasn’t thrilled with his effort. He probably ran a better race than Acoustic (5), who was just picking up pieces at the end, but that one now makes his first start off the claim for Jason Servis, so he must be considered. Glennrichment’s (7) last race would make him awfully tough in here, but it’s hard to know what to expect from him as he makes his first start in over 3 months. He was actually a vet scratch out of that July 5 race that a few others contested, and now it’s taken him another 4 weeks to return.

I think this is a race where we can get a bit more creative, so I’m taking a shot with WINGMAN (12). I know that the post position is not ideal, but there’s a long run-up to the turn going this distance on the inner and Luis Saez figures to be aggressive in a race that does not feature much early speed. In fact, the Pace Projector has him sitting second early in a situation favoring runners up front. This gelding’s turf races last year were actually pretty good, as he kept decent company despite facing maidens through the summer and fall. In his only turf start against winners at Aqueduct, he actually ran much better than it appears, as he got shuffled totally out of position in the first furlong, and actually made up good ground in the lane. I think that Dec. 16 win on the dirt tricked his connections into thinking he could be a main track horse over the winter. The reality is that he took advantage of a rail bias that day and he’s actually much better on turf. Now he gets back to the right surface, and the DRF Clocker Reports indicate that he’s coming into this race in good condition.