How he got here: He's the most raced horse in the race (11 starts) but he hasn't been at the premium tracks. He's won all five races this year in Philadelphia and at Laurel. It took seven races for him to break his maiden and he hasn't lost since.
Why he'll win: Maybe something happened five races ago where he finally figured everything out. He's got a lot of early speed, so if the race collapses behind him and no one closes, then there is a sliver of a chance he can win.
Why he won't: This company is just too tough for a horse that raced a lot in Philadelphia. His early speed probably can't match that of Uncle Lino. He's likely to drift ack and never be seen again.
John Cherwa is a special contributor to the Los Angeles Times. He started at The Times in 1980 and left in 1995 to be sports editor of the Chicago Tribune and Tribune Co. sports coordinator in 2002. He rejoined The Times in 2009 and left his post as deputy sports editor late in 2017. Currently, his major coverage area is horse racing, where he can be found at big races at Santa Anita, the Triple Crown series and Breeders’ Cup. He also can be found at the Olympics, having just finished the Tokyo and Beijing double, marking his 11th Olympics. Cherwa also contributes general interest stories from Florida.
