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AMERICAN GRADED STAKES PREVIEWS
Northern Dancer S. (G3) runner-up WARRIOR'S REWARD (Medaglia d'Oro) drew the rail for the $200,000 Dwyer S. (G2) at Belmont Park on Saturday, and we feel that the colt is a standout against these for conditioner Ian Wilkes. A smart winner in his debut at Gulfstream in late January, the colt finished second in his first try versus winners behind the talented Dunkirk (Unbridled's Song). Following a subpar showing in his graded debut at Tampa, the Kentucky-bred has reeled off a pair of solid efforts, including a sharp allowance score over next-out Woody Stephens S. (G2) winner Munnings (Speightstown) two back. Warrior's Reward should love this distance, and as long as he doesn't get buried on the inside, he should run by this group late beneath Calvin Borel. CONVOCATION (Pulpit) earned a strong BRIS Speed number for his 6 3/4-length maiden romp last out and will make the jump straight to graded foes for Jimmy Jerkens. The bay colt is a bit of a mystery against this type, but we love the aggressive move by his conservative conditioner and will use him underneath in all of our gimmicks at a square price. MASALA (Lion Heart) earned a stout 101 BRIS Speed figure in his first try for Allen Jerkens, defeating a workmanlike field of elders over this oval to prepare for this event. The Florida-bred has never run poorly on dirt and is seemingly improving, so he might be worth a flier if the top one falters. We consider this one, like many, a logical gimmicks threat. AMERICAN DANCE (A.P. Indy) crushed an allowance field in advance of this for Todd Pletcher, toppling some nice older foes in his win. We've never been all that high on the colt and feel that his optimal distances will be much longer than this, but his last was impressive and a repeat of that makes him a factor throughout. John Velazquez has the call. JUST BEN (Speightstown) exploded to a huge win on the Belmont S. (G1) undercard and is sure to take a bunch of money while making his stakes debut for Nick Zito. The talented Virginia-bred has a world of potential and seems to be getting good at the right time. With that said, this field is solid and we are not ready to back this horse at a short price. KENSEI (Mr. Greeley) has put in a trio of solid works in 2009 for Steve Asmussen, including a solid third in the Woody Stephens. The colt has good tactical speed and is quite consistent, so he must be considered as an exotics threat beneath Edgar Prado. SUNDAY SUNRISE (Lemon Drop Kid) finally broke through at the first-level allowance condition after four tries this campaign for Asmussen, but he'll need a major step up to challenge these late.
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