At first glance, the Friday feature in Hallandale, an optional allowances for the ladies going7 furlongs, it appeared to be a battle between the now horse, Maryquitecontrary (5-2) and Rapturous (7-2), both exiting the key Azalea Stakes that already has produced two next-out winners.
But we couldn’t make a legitimate excuse for the dull try by Rapturous and didn’t want the short price offered on ‘Mary’, so we looked a little deeper and arrived at first-time Saffie Joseph Towser (4-1) making her three-year-old debut, clearly the most interesting of the three major contenders.
The first thing that catches the eye is her work-tab that extends back to mid-June. Her 10 equally spaced works include four bullets, one faster than the last, an indication she’s acclimating to her new surroundings and the addition of first-Lasix. And her PPs are illuminating.
After her debut on turf at Kentucky Downs, she showed up at Laurel and quickly broke maiden in her first run on dirt then was ambitiously spotted in the Myrtlewood at Keeneland last fall. That was 294 days ago. The figure she earned at Laurel [check out SEP 30 run, Race 7], with added maturity, is good enough to handle these fillies.
Based on her works, we expect she will be half her early line odds ante post. Taking Towser to win at 2-1 or greater, a quinella with Maryquitecontrary, and key her first in trifectas with her two rivals above.
