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.