00:00As we take a look at the field here, I think we have kind of a top tier of the Milers.
00:04Formidable Man and King of Gosford have kind of stamped themselves over the last few months as the top horses in this division.
00:10But you have other horses like the 8 to the outside, a really interesting wild card, who was the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner.
00:17Could you make a case for the one Nesso's last hurrah who has inside speed, but I think there's other speed in this field?
00:23There is. That's the concern here. Had things a lot easier last time out against lesser competition.
00:28Competition is third off the layoff, likes to win races, has run well over this course.
00:33We've seen more surprising outcomes in this horse wiring out the field, but I think he's up against it a little bit.
00:39You've got to give Cabo Spirit a lot of credit, Scott.
00:42It seemed like he had tailed off form, and then his last four races in a row, all of them in the money, all in graded stakes races,
00:49he's shown that he can sit off the pace a little bit, and he's a real fighter.
00:53I just think he might be a tad below Formidable Man and King of Gosford, who just seemed like they might have him measured in most of these races.
01:02But if there's not pace battles in races, this guy always shows up. He's super honest.
01:08My biggest concern is that the presence of Nesso's last hurrah, the presence of full Serrano,
01:13if they're both in this race, that's going to make life difficult for Cabo Spirit.
01:16Yeah, you covered the important points here. Very cool horse, $1.2 million, has pulled off upsets in the past,
01:23but they're usually, when he has, a major pace advantage.
01:25We move to Almendares. This horse has actually run some of the faster races in the field.
01:31He needs a setup because he wants to come from out of it, Scott.
01:34So, you know, as a closer, things need to go quick early on from him.
01:38But there are versions of this race where Nesso's last hurrah, Cabo Spirit, full Serrano are all pushing each other,
01:44and Almendares gets a pretty nice setup. He's not far behind horses like Formidable Man and King of Gosford in talent.
01:53It just comes down to the setup with him. He's not quite as versatile as those horses, right?
01:57They seem like they can be placed more in the race early.
02:01This guy kind of needs things to kind of set up, and then he'll make his late run.
02:05Yeah, he ran well last time with the good setup and dropping into the restricted stakes company.
02:10I just wonder if he's good enough, even with the right trip, to outkick this field.
02:14But sometimes if you're making the last move, which he might be making, it might be the right one.
02:19Formidable Man has just been so good as of late.
02:22He's won two of his last three graded stakes races. He's a multiple grade one winner.
02:26He's five for five at Delamar. He loves this turf course.
02:30And he just seems like a horse who can sit close. He can be mid-pack.
02:34I think in the Shoemaker Mile, he ends up losing that race to King of Gosford.
02:37He was just a little too far back that day. No real knocks on this horse overall.
02:42No, he's tough. I think the one thing you could ask is maybe is he the best at a mile,
02:46or does he want a little more distance?
02:48You know, overall, I think he brings the best resume and the best form coming into this field.
02:53And this is the kind of horse that Umberto Rispoli, who, you know, people, including myself,
02:58have been hard on for his ride to Times and Journalism.
03:00This is the kind of horse I think he fits absolutely perfectly.
03:04Suchet was a runner-up on July the 26th at Delamar.
03:08Scott, I thought he was going to win that race. I think the rider and connections may have too.
03:12What happened, he's saving all the ground inside, and he moves through,
03:16and he gets right to the front. Then there are two horses to the outside of him.
03:21He had the horse right to his outside measured, but the horse, two horses outside of him,
03:25he may not have seen. And that is the horse who ends up beating him.
03:28If they go quick early, this horse will come flying late.
03:32He's sneaky, I think, to me at least. Paco Lopez, this is what I was talking about.
03:37Love the move to Paco here. He's going to come in and mean business.
03:40I think this horse, second off the layoff, second off the plane, not the ship.
03:45I think Suchet has got a big shot.
03:47Zio Joe comes off a runner-up effort behind Elm and Daris. He's been a little bit unlucky,
03:52and you can just see he's not quite as good as some of his rivals in here.
03:56I could see a little class drop being something that could put him into the winner's circle.
04:00Yeah, he just doesn't stack up well in terms of winning the race when it comes to the top contenders in here.
04:05He's been outkicked by them regularly, but third or fourth maybe if the right setup.
04:09Seven straight top three finishes for King of Gosford. He won the Shoemaker Mile.
04:14Now, my only worry with him in this race is it felt like the Shoemaker Mile was the spot for him.
04:19That was his second start off the long layoff. It just felt like he was going to step forward there.
04:24Now he's had a couple months off. I wonder if they're kind of starting him here, Scott,
04:28in hopes to get him to the Breeders' Cup.
04:30So I respect him. I think he's right in the mix with the top-tier contenders.
04:34But if you're just poking holes, he may not have that same recent form right now that he did just a few months ago.
04:41That's a very fair point. He does get the right jock. He is versatile,
04:44which allows Flavian basically to put him in the right spot.
04:48And he's won 7 of 17, so he likes to win. Hard to knock, but a good point by you.
04:53Full Serrano rounds things out. He won the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile last year.
04:57He's a real wild card, Scott, because he can fly early in races,
05:01and he would at least be part of the early pace in here.
05:03Yeah, I wonder if this is a prep to get him started moving forward,
05:07thinking Breeders' Cup may be second or third off the layoff.
05:10But if it is or isn't, you would think he's going to be forward,
05:13and he could have a major outcome in the race. His class is obvious.
