Saturday, January 2, 2021 Race 4: The first Saturday of 2021 is a big one at RACE 1: 4 – 11 – 3 – 10 thanks to five stakes races and the overall vibe of this 11-race program. Post time is 12:05 ET on the nose! The Dania Beach, carded as race 4, rings in the stakes action for the new year and I believe the field’s strength lies in a couple of recent GP maiden graduates. RACE 2: 8 – 7 – 6 – 4 Pharoah improved a ton and looked good in his recent Gulfstream turf victory for trainer Jack Sisterson. This American Pharoah colt earned a solid figure, deployed a high cruising speed and RACE 3: 6 – 5 – 1 – 4 beat what I consider to be a pretty deep field two weeks ago ; that race he exits – he is unsurprisingly the first to return a mere 14 days later – has got good potential in the “key race” department. Then we have ’s Fighting Force, a colt that has obviously run very well RACE 4: 2 – 1 – 4 – 6 on the turf. His best race occurred over this turf course some four weeks ago, a comfortable maiden special weight victory. Clearly, trainer Larry Rivelli’s Like a Saltshaker is the most interesting (and shortest priced) new face in this field. This PA-bred gelding ships in RACE 5: 5 – 2 – 7 – 6 from Chicago (he left his parka in Illinois) and ran a big race on Halloween at when second over rain-softened ground in the Awad Stakes. It is not a coincidence that his best effort occurred in the Awad, which is the only turf race he’s competed in to this point. RACE 6: 3 – 6 – 5 – 8 Race 5 : The Christophe Clement -trained Hit the Woah rolls into the Glitter Woman Stakes as a clear-cut filly to beat and potential single in early Pick 5s / 4s. This Vancouver filly ran exceptionally well in her two races in 2020, the most recent of which was a strong-figure RACE 7: 2 – 6 – 4 – 3 Aqueduct victo ry six weeks ago. She’s going to be a big favorite against this field and strikes me as a filly with a decent amount of runway. That is unless someone else really steps forward in this spot. RACE 8: 5 – 9 – 6 – 2 In that department I see the Todd Pletcher -trained Lucifers Lair as the biggest threat. It’s Pletcher with a well-bred Quality Road filly that returns off a 4.5-month layoff at Gulfstream Park. Case closed. Race 7: Highway Bound gets the top spot in the $75k Limehouse RACE 9: 1 – 6 – 5 – 3 Stakes for a couple of reasons: he had two -year-old ability, owns a gigantic Godolphin pedigree and is a newly turned Bill Mott-trained three-year-old. Expect the best effort of his career in Saturday’s 7th race, which is named for a powerhouse of a horse in Limehouse RACE 10: 5 – 3 – 10 – 4 (Dogwood Stables / Pletcher.) Runway Magic also warrants major respect off his improving Kentucky form for trainer Rusty Arnold. Arnold is old school and cut from the same cloth as Bill Mott – it’s about the long game, not a maiden race in August. Runway Magic exits RACE 11: 8 – 4 – 6 – 7 a strong and legitimate maiden victory.