​<p>by TimeformUS Analyst David Aragona</p>

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<p><strong>RACE 3: HIGHWAY STAR (#3)</strong><br />
Isabelle and Genre deserve to be the two shortest prices on the board, and Isabelle&#39;s early speed makes her especially dangerous here. The TimeformUS Pace Projector is predicting that she will be on the lead in a situation favoring the front-runner. However, the filly likely to be her closest pursuer early is Highway Star, who I think has a chance to pull off the minor upset. This filly&#39;s two-turn races look worse than her one-turn races, but she has had excuses. She was part of a fast pace when she lost to Super Surprise last summer, and last time she was wide against a strong rail bias. If she runs back to her Go for Wand effort, which is looking even stronger in retrospect, she is a major threat to win.</p>
<p><strong>Win: 3<br />Exacta Key Box: 3 with 1,4,6<br />Trifecta: 3 with 4,6 with 1,4,5,6</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>RACE 5: TREE SHAKER (#5)</strong><br />
I&#39;m not sure that I want any of the runners coming out of the sixth race on Jan. 11. Mr. Curiosity clearly ran the best race that day after setting an extremely fast pace (indicated by the red color-coding in PPs), but he likely will have to face early pressure from Two Times Book. Dettifoss is the classiest of the closers, but he&#39;s often his own worst enemy, as he consistently breaks slowly. I&#39;m taking a shot with Tree Shaker, who is turning back in distance. This horse doesn&#39;t really want to go two turns, but he nevertheless ran well enough in his last two starts to suggest that he&#39;s in good form. He has on occasion run sprint races that would make him a threat to win here.</p>
<p><strong>Win/Place: 5<br />Exacta Key Box: 5 with 2,3,6</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>RACE 6: REALLY BIG BIRD (#4)</strong><br />
There are three key players in this race who are stretching out in distance for the first time. Bene and Shuffle Up are likely to attract the most support, but I&#39;m more interested in Linda Rice&#39;s Really Big  Bird. This horse&#39;s last performance is slightly better than it appears. He looked to be uncomfortable while racing inside of horses on the turn last time but found his stride late once his rider swung him to the outside. He&#39;s bred to stretch out in distance, and Rice has great numbers with this move. DRF Formulator Fact: She is 20 for 64 (31 percent) over the past five years, with a $2.16 ROI, when stretching horses out on dirt for the first time. </p>
<p><strong>Win/Place: 4<br />Exacta Key Box: 4 with 3,5,7</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>RACE 7: BIG LOUIE D (#4)</strong><br />
The Michael Dubb entry is likely to go off as the heavy favorite in this race. Story to Tell is the more fancied half of the duo, having just finished a close fifth behind top sprinters Green Gratto and  Stallwalkin&#39; Dude in the Grade 3 Toboggan. Still Krz is also not without a chance, though, after running a fine third at this level in January. While I&#39;ll certainly use them prominently in all slots, I&#39;m taking a small shot against them with Big Louie D. There are two main pace players in this race, and I think this John Servis trainee can outrun Alright Alright, who has a habit of breaking a step slowly. Big Louie D earned a gigantic 124 TimeformUS Speed Figure in the mud two back and then got involved in a fast pace in a race dominated by closers. The Pace Projector is predicting that he will be in front in a situation favoring the early leader. </p>
<p><strong>Win/Place: 4<br />Exacta Box: 1,4</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>RACE 8: J BOYS ECHO (#1)</strong><br />
El Areeb does appear to be the most likely winner of the Gotham, but he’s going to be a very short price once again. J Boys Echo is listed at 8-1 on the morning line, and I would very much encourage anyone to bet him at that price. He  raced very wide for his entire trip in the Withers, covering 81 more feet than runner-up True Timber on a day when the rail was the place to be. Now he draws the inside post. </p>
<p><strong>Win: 1<br />Exacta: 1,4 with 1,4,8,9<br />Trifecta: 1,4 with 1,4 with 3,5,6,7,8,9,10<br />Trifecta: 1,4 with 8,9 with 1,4</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>RACE 9: BRED TO BOSS (#5) </strong><br />
Dan the Man makes plenty of sense in the finale, but he&#39;s almost too obvious at a short price, especially when there are far more intriguing options who could be overlays. I&#39;m trying to get longshot Bred to Boss somewhere into the mix. This horse got a ridiculous ride from the apprentice in his return to the races last time. Now he gets a rider upgrade to Rosario Montanez, and he actually has run some competitive speed figures in the past. If he&#39;s fitter in his second start off the layoff, he could upset this field at a generous price.</p>
<p><strong>Win/Place: 5<br />Exacta Key Box: 5 with 2,7,8</strong><br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;</p>