Quick Trip is primed for the first win of what should be a productive career. The Trippi filly out of Quick Brown Fox is making rapid progress and is set to go one better after a game second behind Distant Winter two weeks ago. With proven fitness and an asset on soft ground, the Brett Crawford trained filly looks like the solution in Race 2, though a market watch is advised on the seven filters.
Captain Arrow can win the following race and kickstart the P6 sequence. Again, there are seven unknown quantities making their debuts, but they will need to be way above average to menace the Candice Bass-trained, Captain of All colt, who has run two consecutive solid races recently. Icy Blast and Blue Holly proved too good then, but Captain Arrow may find this assignment more manageable. Silver Crown and likely big improver, Speed Racer are the dangers.
The rest of the card comprises tightly banded Class 3,4 and 5 handicaps. For the most part, wide spreads will be needed to survive the exotics, but Race 7 over 1200m might be safely navigated going short with just Benjamin and Dance Variety.
Benjamin has a good record on wet going, fits just right at this Class 4 level, and a replay of either his course and distance runs to King Regent in November or Bluff on Bluff 15 days ago could get the job done. Dance Variety got within spitting distance of Benjamin in Winter ’22 under similar circumstances so should be right there again. The well-bred, improving 3-year-old, Gimmie’s Laddie, and maybe Swift Action, who comes off a career-best, are worth using underneath in vertical exotics.
Race 8 is a real brainteaser. It’s a potent Class 3 over 1200, with several horses showing the capability of moving into higher divisions through the Winter. Off-pace, strong finishing types like Beerenberg, Wyag, Veldskoen, and Tchaikovsky will be dashing home while pace-presser Transact also has persuasive claims. Add recently gelded youngsters, Wecangoallnight, Street Outlaw and Champion Warrior into the equation (all showed up well late last year,) and it becomes an even more inscrutable puzzle to solve.
