Handicapping: Full Slate of Friday, Saturday Action

As a topsy-turvy season draws to a close, it's comforting to see traditional year-end races still situated where one would expect to find them Thanksgiving weekend. The Black Friday fare is headed by the Clark Stakes Presented By Norton Healthcare (G1) from Churchill Downs and the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2T) at Del Mar, along with a trio of $100,000 stakes from Aqueduct Racetrack topped by the Comely Stakes (G3).

Aqueduct has four more $100,000 events Nov. 28, while the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) and Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) share top billing at Churchill and the Hollywood Derby (G1T) highlights a grassy Del Mar program bolstered by the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2T) and Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3T).

FRIDAY

Comely (Aqu, Race 8, 3:15 ET): No fewer than seven of these 10 sophomore fillies come off the fastest races of their careers, notably Miss Marissa (1), who has won three straight capped by an upset of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at 10-1.

Miss Marissa is actually coming off paired top figures, the first having come in a front-running allowance win at Saratoga Race Course. She owns two of the field's four wins at 1 1/8 miles, but it's fair to wonder whether she might be ripe for regression. As well, she may get early pressure from Makingcents (7), a New York-bred who forced the pace against older in the Empire Distaff, and/or Gale (8), who wired a Maryland-bred off-the-turf allowance by a pole recently.

Thankful (5) and Mrs. Danvers (6) look like potential late bloomers for Todd Pletcher and Shug McGaughey respectively, and figure to get a decent setup. They finished heads apart going a mile out of the chute at Belmont Park in late September, and the latter was compromised through the stretch when hemmed in by a rival and forced to alter course to the rail. Mrs. Danvers, whose maiden win at the Spa last year came over five-time graded stakes winner Finite, returned with blinkers added four weeks later and got through her preliminary allowance condition on her fourth try. Mrs. Danvers is by Tapit  and out of an Awesome Again mare, and thus a candidate to move forward first time around two turns.

A — 5, 6

B — 1, 8

Clark (CD, Race 10, 5:27 ET): An overflow field of 15 entered the 146th running of the 1 1/8-mile Clark, which will be run under the lights. Last year's second and third finishers, Owendale (9) and Mr Freeze (5), are back for another try in a highly competitive renewal that also includes dual grade 1 winner Code of Honor (3) and four-time grade 2 winner By My Standards (12).

Code of Honor banked over $2.2 million at age 3 and will race under the Twin Spires for the first time since being elevated to second in the 2019 Kentucky Derby Presented By Woodford Reserve (G1). Things haven't worked out quite so well this year for the homebred son of Noble Mission , who has lost three straight since taking the Westchester Handicap (G3) in his seasonal bow. However, a closer look reveals extenuating circumstances for his defeats in the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1), Whitney Stakes (G1), and Kelso Handicap (G2). Code of Honor's top performances last year came at two turns when he had ample time between starts, and his only two-turn outing of 2020—the Whitney—came just four weeks after the Met Mile. He has had nearly eight weeks since the Kelso when forced to move earlier than he prefers en route to a clear second-place finish.

By My Standards won or placed in his first six starts of the season, racking up stakes wins at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Oaklawn Park, and Churchill along the way. The well-traveled son of Goldencents  failed to fire in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) off a layoff of more than two months, but rates another chance due to his prior consistency.

Aurelius Maximus (5) might have been best when beaten a neck by Mr Freeze in the Hagyard Fayette (G2), when he gave up position into the far turn and went around to rebid from outside through the stretch. He's eligible to turn the tables with that initial try at nine furlongs under his belt.

A — 3, 12

B — 5, 7, 9

Hollywood Turf Cup (Dmr, Race 7, 6:30 ET): The local turf horses seem to take turns beating each other, so the only one we're using among those is Acclimate (7), who is one of four entered by Phil D'Amato and making his first start since battling to deep stretch in the 2019 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T). Acclimate wired the 2019 Del Mar Handicap (G2T) when last seen on this turf course, and figures to have things his own way up front.

The lean is to horses that have been racing elsewhere: Say the Word (4), Arklow (5), and Laccario (8).

Say the Word recaptured his best form through summer and fall, climaxed by an off-the-pace win in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented by Pattison (G1T) for former trainer Gail Cox. He has since relocated to Southern California and goes first time for D'Amato while picking up Flavien Prat.

The salty veteran Arklow, an earner of more than $2.5 million, garnered the Calumet Farm Kentucky Turf Cup (G3T) with blinkers on two back. He was probably positioned a bit too close to the pace when he faded to sixth in the Breeders' Cup Turf after that.

The German import Laccario had a rough trip first out this year in the Preis von Europa (G1), and made an auspicious stateside debut rallying for second in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1T) in early October. He has since been given over to Graham Motion and his past form indicates the wherewithal to string good races together.

A — 4, 8

B — 5, 7

SATURDAY

Hollywood Derby (Dmr, race 9, 7:30 ET): The phrase "go west, young man" applies to five New York-based runners in this 13-horse field, headed by Domestic Spending (8), winner of the $500,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational for Chad Brown, and Gufo (13), who bounced back from a narrow defeat in that race to win the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T) for Christophe Clement.

Clement, who began the holiday week atop the trainer standings at Aqueduct, also entered Decorated Invader (10), who, like Gufo, is by Declaration of War. Decorated Invader began the year winning three straight stakes before coming up a bit short in the Saratoga Derby and the Hill Prince Stakes (G2T), but he was greatly compromised by a slow pace set by front-end winner Get Smokin (9) in the latter event.

Gufo has the most potent finishing kick, and had he not ducked in from right-hand pressure in deep stretch of the Saratoga Derby he probably would have run down Domestic Spending. That remains his only loss from five outings in 2020.

Smooth Like Strait (2) and Scarto (3) ran one-two in the recent Twilight Derby (G2T) at Santa Anita Park, and meet again over a course they've both had success on. Smooth Like Strait took the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar last fall and returned in August for a front-running score in the La Jolla Handicap (G3T). The late-developing Scarto has been vastly improved since stretched to two turns on turf, winning back-to-back starts at Del Mar followed by a rallying second in the Twilight Derby. The third and fourth finishers from that race have since come back to win, notably Field Pass, who captured the Ontario Derby (G3) last Saturday.

A — 8, 13

B — 2, 3, 10

C — 9