3 minute read
A return to the winner's stall last start leaves the Daniel Morton trained Red Ora well placed to bring up his seventh career win, when due to line up in the penultimate event at Belmont on Saturday.
A winner of six of his nine career starts, the son of Due Sasso has made steady progression this time in and appears set to relish the step up to the mile.
Ridden patiently last start, Red Ora settled towards the rear before pulled to the outside on straightening.Spotting the leaders a considerable start, Red Ora worked home powerfully, hitting the front inside the final 100m to score by half a length.
Marked marginally below his best, Red Ora notably returned figures ahead of the bare form which suggests he can improve further on the weekend.In what appears a fairly competitive affair on paper, Red Ora still looks to hold a distinct class edge over his rivals.
His winning strike rate of 67% is almost double his nearest rival and when assessing Timeform predictive ratings, he appears very well placed.As much as 2-1 is being offered about Red Ora's chances which appears quite generous, as if priced aggressively we have him marked the odds-on favourite.
From the rails draw he shouldn't look to get too far back and is expected to be very hard to hold out late.In the fifth event the Vernon Brockman trained Hobart Jones also appears well placed following his luckless effort behind Recode first up.
Returning as a gelding the son of So Secret appeared to be travelling well in-behind the speed, but was unable to get clear running when required on-straightening.Working home well late when finally clear, he notably returned a figure well short of his best and remains open to sharp improvement on Saturday.
Although he hasn't won in sometime (504 days), the form around the likes of Liberty's Gem and Crown Lawyer sees him very well placed using Timeform weight adjusted ratings.The step up to 1200m should also aid his chances and if able to return to his best form he sets a very good standard for his rivals.
Early shoppers could have secured as much as 6-1 about his chances and while well and truly gone now, he still presents good value at 4-1.Being a somewhat non-winner, it is hard to be too aggressive about his chances, however we still have him marked well short of his current quote.
From the gun draw he appears to get the ideal run in transit and should prove very hard to hold out.BET OF THE DAY (1): Race 7 #1 Red Ora @ $3.00
BET OF THE DAY (2): Race 5 #7 Hobart Jones @ $5.00