Rattlesnake Bridge Poised to Strike

Who: Thoroughbreds – Ruler On Ice, To Honor and Serve, Rattlesnake Bridge
What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Pennsylvania Derby
Where: Parx Racing
When: Saturday, September 24th

Rattlesnake Bridge appears poised to take his place among the elite members of the 3YO class. He’ll have his chance on Saturday in the 32nd Running of The Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing (aka Philadelphia Park). Let’s take a look at the field in post position order:

1. Ruler On Ice: Gets a rider switch to Garrett Gomez, which can’t hurt. ‘Ruler is reportedly jumping out of his skin, so a top effort is expected. Note he’s won going two turns locally, so the surface shouldn’t be an issue. ‘Bridge got the better of him in The Travers, though, and the outside horse appears to have more upside. Minor award likely.
2. Arthur’s Tale: Coming off a layoff of 5+ months, you have to wonder if his connections aren’t rushing things a bit. Yes, he finished in front of Uncle Mo in The Wood, but you know that wasn’t the real ‘Mo. ‘Tale has won off short breaks against lesser, but tackling this crew off a long layoff is a different story. Maybe next time?
3. Pender Harbour: Canadian shipper enters this off a pair of nose wins up north for big money. However, the Canadian 3YO class hasn’t shown much thus far. Taking a stand against.
4. Norman Asbjornson: Four starts locally have yielded a pair of wins, but the top Beyer Speed Figure  over the local strip is a modest 80. ‘Norman finished more than four lengths behind Arthur’s Tale in The Wood…siding with others for the minor awards.
5. Rush Now: Connections pondered long and hard about coming here, and decided to take a shot. He’ll be sent to the lead, and take them as far as he can. The presence of To Honor and Serve, however, means that he’ll be under pressure most of the way. The race shapes up better for stablemate J W Blue.
6. Isn’t He Perfect: With a record of 16-2-1-1, the answer is a resounding NO!! ‘The Dood’ probably should concentrate on getting his horse an entry-level allowance win. Doesn’t belong.
7. To Honor and Serve: He looked good walloping lesser at The Spa and gets in light here, carrying 114 pounds. He has trained well since that race, so another strong effort appears likely. He should fall into a nice, stalking trip, but I wonder if pacesetter Rush Now might cause this horse to expend too much energy chasing. The biggest knock, however, is that regular rider John Velazquez has opted for Rattlesnake Bridge. Hmmmm.
8. J W Blue: There should be a lively pace up front to flatter this guy’s late run. I just question if his closing kick can match that of Rattlesnake Bridge. You should hear J W Blue’s name in the run to the wire, but I’ll use him strictly underneath in the exotics.
9. Rattlesnake Bridge: Jockey John Velazquez has ridden this horse twice. The first time was in the colt’s career bow, and ‘Bridge got there with a late rush, but was noticeably green. John V. noticed the change in his most recent start, a fine second to Stay Thirsty in The Travers. This horse is starting to figure it all out. The talent has always been there…the seasoning now makes him a serious racehorse. I’m expecting a breakthrough performance, with a Beyer Speed Figure in the 105 range…that should be enough to get the job done. I’ll bet on #9-Rattlesnake Bridge to win at odds of 3-1 or better, and I’ll key him on top in exotics, using #1-Ruler On Ice, #7-To Honor and Serve, and #8-J W Blue underneath.