Belmont Park | Race 5 | Post Time 3:41 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
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HAVE ANOTHER (#6) gets a real class test today, and I suspect that he’s up to the challenge. I had been a fan of this horse when he appeared on the scene last winter as a 3-year-old, but it seemed that he wasn’t quite as sharp when he initially returned from a layoff this year. That all changed with his performance two back, where he trounced a group of claimers with a dazzling stretch run. One of the things that had made this horse stand out early in his career was his ability to put in extremely quick closing fractions – the likes of which you would typically see in turf races, not dirt sprints. According to Trakus, on May 11, he ran his final quarter-mile in 23.52 seconds, and then last time, he had to put in an unbelievable final quarter in 23.23 to get up to win.
That June 17 win was particularly impressive since the pace of that race was very slow and Have Another had to wait in traffic when attempting to make his move rounding the far turn. He can be a tricky horse to ride, so I like that Junior Alvarado is sticking aboard for this rise in class. There is a fair amount of early speed in this race, and Have Another clearly posses the best TimeformUS Late Pace Rating of 92. I’m assuming it’s a good sign that he’s running back in just 14 days, and if he shows up with another solid effort, I believe he’ll win.
His main competitors are second-time starters. I slightly prefer Call Triple A (#1), who exits a fast win at Parx and has a right to continue moving forward for the always-dangerous Michelle Nevin. Devils Halo (#3) was visually impressive at Churchill Downs last time, but he has more of a turf pedigree, so I wonder if his future will ultimately reside on that surface. I would also use Professor Snape (#5) prominently, as he typically puts in solid efforts and there is a possibility he could move forward off the claim by David Jacobson.
THE PLAY
Win: 6
Exacta Key Box: 6 with 1,3,5
Trifecta: 6 with 1,3,5 with 1,2,3,5
