Genuine Risk

Ten fillies and mares are set to contest Saturday's Genuine Risk H. (G2) at

Belmont Park, a six-furlong sprint. FRIENDLY MICHELLE (Artax) is the

morning-line favorite at 3-1, but we're willing to go against the Prioress S.

(G1) queen off a seven-month layoff and use the Todd Pletcher-trained FORESTIER

(Forestry). The bay ran a career-best BRIS Speed rating of 107 last out when

annexing the Classy Mirage S. and entered that contest off an allowance win over

the Aqueduct inner dirt, both going six furlongs. Her speed ratings have

consistently improved since making her first start of the year, and she looms a

serious threat to steal it on the front end as the four-year-old will likely go

for the lead under Richard Migliore. This filly easily rates our top selection

at 10-1.

Timothy Tullock has turned SENSIBLY CHIC (Distorted Humor) around in her last

five starts as the chestnut has not finished worse than second. All have come

against

stakes company, the last two Grade 2 contests, and the five-year-old would be

our top selection had she not lost to two of her opponents here. We'll still use

her in all levels of the gimmicks. Cornelio Velasquez has the call.

LILAH (Defrere) has also improved with each start this year, recording Speed

ratings of 86, 96, 100 and 103 in her four outings of 2005. The last three were

wins, two of which came in high-level optional claiming events and the most

recent in the Hurricane Bertie H. (G3). The Allen Jerkins trainee may run away

with this one and we'll have to use her in our bets.

Recent winner of the Primonetta S., FOREST MUSIC (Unbridled's Song) enters

this contest in much the same way as Forestier. Both have three starts on the

year, both won a stakes race last time and, even more ironically, they both have

recorded Speed ratings of 96 and 107 in their last two outings. The gray has

played musical barns in her last three races but is back in the hands of Mark

Shuman and is another good filly for the exotics.

A half-sister to champion sprinter Smoke Glacken, SMOKEY GLACKEN (Forestry)

has never missed the board in nine career starts. She enters this contest off a

six-month layoff, and that makes it hard to endorse the bay's chances for the

win, but the Grade 3 winner is a must-use for the exotics.

ELUSIVE DIVA (Elusive Quality) enters this one off a victory in the Las

Cienegas H. (G3), a 6 1/2-furlong turf contest. The bay four-year-old's last

start on the main track was a third-place finish in the Buena Vista H. (G3) in

February when that race was moved due to wet weather conditions. Conditioner Mark Glatt has

taken his trainee out of California once in the filly's career,

leading us to believe she may not be deserving of her 7-2 morning-line odds in a

race in New York. We'll still have to use the her in the bottom of the

gimmicks.

Friendly Michelle enters this one off a long layoff for conditioner Bob

Baffert and she may have failed as the favorite in her last two because of the

off track, but the classy four-year-old will have to show us something before we

can endorse her chances. TRAVELATOR (A. P Jet) will make her first start for

Stanley Hough in this one. Third in the Distaff Breeders' Cup H. (G2) last time,

the five-year-old mare has been on the shelf for 49 days and does not perform

her best when fresh, and we'll have to go against.

Mark Hennig will saddle FORTY MOVES (Gold Fever) for the Genuine Risk, and

she rates a serious threat to our front-running top choice with her closing

kick. Two back she recorded a Speed rating of 106 when closing with a rush to

take a Gulfstream optional claimer, but she may be outclassed here. We'll let

the dark bay beat us. BANK AUDIT (Wild Rush) won the Distaff Breeders' Cup two

back and wanted no part of the one-mile Bed O' Roses Breeders' Cup H. (G3) last

time. The four-year-old has won five of her last seven, but all have come at the

Big A, and we'll have to go against her at Belmont.