The fifth race at Emerald Downs is a one mile $7,500 Maiden Claiming for three year olds. The field is ten strong. I like what looks to be the favorite in this race—War Alert. The main concern was the distance, because War Alert has been racing at 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 furlong races. However, in his last race, he went a mile at Emerald Downs. The race took place on the 19th of May.

He started out slow then moved ahead to just off the pace and then took the lead. At the wire he was beat out by a nose. That race was also a $7,500 maiden claiming. Today, he is ridden by Mitchell again and it’s expected that he will be the betting favorite. Another horse to watch is class dropper Spider Armstrong. The morning line has Spider Armstrong at 4-1.

Spider Armstrong has a couple show finishes in his last two races, which were $12,500 Maiden races. In both races there was issues. Perhaps the third time is the charm with jockey Miranda. This maiden has also raced in 20, 30 and 40,000 maiden races. He might be a good selection for exotics.

My Selection: War Alert

Possible Contender: Spider Armstrong