Chad Brown has the probable favorite as he sends out Sweet Connie Girl (12) from the far-outside post position. She’s theoretically getting some slight class relief after facing starter-allowance company in her last two starts, but it’s not like this is a particularly easy spot. She’s obviously improved as a 4-year-old, but I’m a bit reticent to take her at a short price from this outside draw.

She faces a real rival in She Doesn’t Mind (8), who goes out for Brown’s former assistant Jorge Abreu. I thought she ran very well in her first start for this barn, stalking the pace three wide before just getting cut down by the much-the-best winner. She was close to the pace that day, but there’s far more early speed in this field. I’m using her, but I’m actually interested in another horse out of that Aug. 10 race.

FRONT ROW DEBBIE (6) closed for fourth in that spot, but I didn’t think she had the best trip. She found herself in decent position early but then appeared to get shuffled back around the far turn as others made their moves, eventually winding up nearly last at the quarter pole. Considering that she lost all her momentum, I thought she actually put in a good late run to be fourth. Going back to last winter at Gulfstream, this mare was running races that would make her very competitive against this bunch. I liked the way she finished when she won her maiden back in February, and she might have been placed a bit too ambitiously in most of her Kentucky starts. It seems likely that she’ll get a faster pace to close into this time.