Seven go to the post in the state bred Alex M. Robb Saturday at Aqueduct (© Cheryl Quigley | Dreamstime.com).
The Todd Pletcher trained Send It In will be tough to beat, and there is no doubt chalk players will send it in to back this talented gelding in the $100,000 Alex M. Robb at Aqueduct.
A field of seven will line up to go 1 1/16 miles on the inner track including defending champion Empire Dreams from the Tom Albertrani barn. The gelding is 8-1 on the morning line with Kendrick Carmouche getting a leg up on him for the first time.
Send It In makes his stakes debut as he makes his second start off the layoff for Pletcher. With a pair of triple digit Beyers and a record of three wins in four trips on the inner track at the Big A, he is going to be tough to beat.
Second choice on the morning line at 8-5 is the Charlton Baker trained Wake Up in Malibu, who tossed in a clunker in the state bred Empire Classic in his last outing. He makes his first career start on the inner track and has Rajiv Maragh in the irons.
Gulfstream Park has a solid 11-race betting card on tap on Saturday. The features are the $75,000 tropical Park Derby and the $75,000 Tropical Park Oaks.
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At Santa Anita, the marquee event is the $300,000 American Oaks (G1) which drew a competitive field of 13 three-year-old fillies that will go 1 ¼ miles on turf.
My Best Plays Report for Saturday will feature the best of the stakes action and I will have full cards available for both Aqueduct and Gulfstream Park.
Let’s head out to the Big A for Saturday’s featured race of the day:
Aqueduct Race 8 The Alex M. Robb (Post time 3:50 ET)
4 Send It In 6-5
6 Empire Dreams 8-1
2 Wake Up in Malibu 8-5
7 Good Luck Gus 10-1
Send It In is going to be the legit short priced favorite in here for the Pletcher barn. The gelding came back off a nine-month layoff with a game effort in a neck loss against $100,000 optional claimers here. He was unable to catch the loose on the lead gate to wire winner Doyoknowsomthng, who was taking full advantage of a racing strip that was kind to inside speed.
Our top pick made his debut back in the spring of ’15 for $40,000 but now comes in here with a pair of triple digit Beyer Speed Figures, beating Alw-2 optional claimers back in March with a career best 104. He owns a good edge in early and mid pace numbers but has shown he does need the lead. The Pletcher barn is 27% winners with runners making their second start off a +180 day layoff.
Empire Dreams won this race last year by a head as the favorite and then got a nine-month layoff. He is 0 for 3 this year, last out a fourth as the beaten favorite in a New York Stallion Series race at seven furlongs. He is better routing and his win last year was his lone trip over the inner track.
Two back in the state bred Empire Classic he was third behind repeat winner royal Posse, who came back to win the Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park in his next outing. He figures to move forward with the stretch out to two turns.
Wake Up in Malibu set the early fractions in the Empire Classic and faded to finish a well beaten eighth last out. Two back he took the field gate to wire over a speed biased surface to beat Alw-2 optional claimers, the third-place finisher in that race being Keen Ice.
He is better than he showed last out and figures to bounce back with a much better effort, but the 8-5 morning line sure seems light.
Wagering:
WIN: Send It In at 1-1 or better.
EXACTA: 4,6 / 2,4,6,7
TRIFECTA: 4,6 / 2,4,6,7 / 2,3,4,6,7
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