Weekend Picks And Analysis

Alabama Stakes
I had thought of skipping the picks and analysis segment this weekend because I'm headed out for a bit of a vacation to Toronto this next week. I never like playing races when I'm not around to recap the results but this is an opportunity I've been waiting for since the spring and I can't pass on it. I think very highly of Milwaukee Appeal. She is not your typical Canadian filly. I think she's got the class and talent to run with any filly in North America outside Rachel Alexandra. Careless Jewel, another Canadian shipper, seems to have a massive speed advantage on paper but she got that fig on Delaware's quirky surface. Horses rarely repeat those efforts at Saratoga and this race is quite a bit longer than her last. A robust filly like Milwaukee Appeal will have no trouble with the distance and she should be able to deal easily with the American crowd coming out of the CCAO. That was not a very talented group and you don't have to be much better than ordinary to beat them.

Milwaukee Appeal

Sky Classic Stakes
Gio Ponti is not the only turf horse has undergone a renaissance this year. Canada's version of Gio Ponti is Rahy's Attorney. Always thought of as more of a miler Rahy's Attorney has simply turned into a devastating horse this year. The distance is a concern and normally I find myself going against horses like this. He'll be a fairly short price he should have more pace pressure than last time and he's got to win going 11f. But this time I'm not going to be rooting against the best horse. This time I hope to enjoy him fully. Good horses can step outside the box and do things that inferior horses can't. Rahy's Attorney may not be a horse for the ages but compared to the competition he's facing at Woodbine he might as well be Lure. I think he'll sit off the pace a bit this time and let Marlang dictate proceedings. I don't think Callaghan will be so eager to open on the field like he did last time I think he'll be a bit more patient. Marchfield and Champs Elysees will chase him again but as long as his rider is patient he should stay this distance just fine.

Rahy's Attorney