A Matter of Distance

There are questions to be answered in the $50,000 Black Swan Stakes today, because only two of the fillies in the lineup have run the distance, a mile and a sixteenth. This trip would involve only two turns on a mile track, but at Fairplex they’ll be going around three bends.

Amber Hills is one of those trying the distance for the first time. She normally finishes her races faster than she starts them and will get the nod under Martin Pedroza, who is battling Tyler Baze for the riding championship. Pedroza has been aboard Amber Hills in only one of her four starts, but that was the day she broke her maiden at Hollywood Park in solid fashion.

The Ed Moger trainee had to settle for a fifth and a second in her ensuing two appearances at Del Mar, but she ran both of those in stakes company. If she can relax early for Pedroza and find a cozy tracking position, she can get the job done at what figures to be a square price.

My Honey Bunny is one of four with experience over this tricky course. She was beaten by a nose in the Bustles and Bows at 6 1/2 furlongs. Jockey Chance Rollins will try to take them gate to wire and the key to his horse’s success will be the amount of pressure she has to take in the early stages. Speed is always a valuable commodity here, and she has already shown she knows how to bank around these tight turns.

The picks: 1. Sanger Red; 2. Kipper Edge; 3. Warn Me Again; 4. Brazil Nut; 5. Royal For Sure; 6. Tick On; 7. Ultimate Prize; 8. Lethal Lover; 9. Bruneau Dunes; 10. Runninwithscissors; 11. Amber Hills; 12. Insane Reality; 13. Occupied.