Litfin: Messi Could Register United Nations Upset

Handicappers of all persuasions will find something to sink their teeth into Saturday, as we turn the calendar page to July and officially begin the second half of the 2017 racing season.

In South Florida, a 14-race "Summit Of Speed" program at Gulfstream Park is headlined by the Princess Rooney Stakes Presented By Hardacre Farm (G2), which is the middle leg of a pick three that begins with the Carry Back (G3) and concludes with the Smile Sprint (G3) stakes.

On Long Island, the 61st running of the Mother Goose Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park attracted a field of seven sophomore fillies, all of which are seeking their first graded stakes victory.

And over by the Jersey Shore, long-distance turf specialists vie in the 64th edition of the United Nations Stakes (G1T) at beautiful Monmouth Park.

Since all five of these stakes will unfold in just over an hour, here's a rundown in chronological order (all times Eastern Daylight Time).

Carry Back (GP, race 11, 5:02): Three Rules (#3) firmly established himself as the top Florida-based juvenile last year, when he swept all five starts at Gulfstream by a combined 31 lengths including four stakes from 5 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. It has been exactly nine months since his last victory, however, and he will have to rebound from a rather listless effort in the Chick Lang Stakes, in which he was scrubbed on virtually throughout and checked in third behind speedball Recruiting Ready.

Three Rules should benefit from the return to his home grounds and what's more, seven furlongs is probably his ideal distance. That being said, he will need to put forth his best race to beat Mo Cash (#4), Sweetontheladies (#5) and Blind Ambition (#6), who are lightly raced and on the upswing.

Sweetontheladies, who may well have been Florida's second-best 2-year-old of 2016, recently returned from a five-month break to win an off-the-turf dash at five furlongs over French Quarter, a hard-knocking 6-year-old with seven wins and nearly $300,000 in the bank.

A - 3

B - 4, 5, 6

Princess Rooney (GP, race 12, 5:34): Four of these fillies and mares renew hostilities after first meeting up in the Inside Information Stakes (G2) on March 18. The first three finishers—Distanta (#4), Wheatfield (#5) and Dearest (#3)—were separated by just a half-length, with Curlin's Approval (#7) sputtering home a wide and perplexing fifth at 3-5.

Dearest has been away since then, but fires fresh consistently and may be in charge of the pace in a field without a great deal of early speed.

Curlin's Approval is a difficult call. She was coming off impressive wins in the Hurricane Bertie (G3) and Royal Delta (G2) stakes, and received a freshening after the no-show performance in the Inside Information. The daughter of Curlin   returned a few weeks ago with another off-the-board finish in the Matron Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, but has since posted three fast workouts back on her home track, including a five-furlong move in 57.60 seconds.

Birdatthewire (#2) and Lightstream (#8) figure to be well out of things early, but either or both may make their presence felt late. 

Birdatthewire was beaten a head in the Chilukki Stakes (G2) at Churchill when she came off a race over the synthetic surface at Presque Isle Downs last fall, and the Summer Bird mare displays a similar pattern after a late run at Presque Isle in her 5-year-old bow.

Lightstream is third off the layoff after catching a sloppy track in the Humana Distaff (G1), and following with a close third in the Bed O'Roses Stakes (G3) behind By the Moon, a multiple graded stakes winner whose only loss from five starts at Belmont was a close second in the 2016 Acorn Stakes (G1).

A - 3, 8

B - 2, 4

C - 5

Mother Goose (Bel, 9th, 5:50): Although these fillies are 0 for 7 in graded stakes overall, there is some talent here, notably Lockdown (#4) and Vexatious (#6), the third and fourth finishers in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Juddmonte Farms and Bill Mott won the 2013 Mother Goose with Close Hatches, who won an Eclipse Award the following year, and their Lockdown looks like a work in progress as well. The First Defence filly ran remarkably well in the Oaks to edge Vexatious after steadying early, encountering more trouble on the far turn, and having the rider lose the whip.

Todd Pletcher has won the Mother Goose five times, including last year with Off the Tracks, and he takes three shots with Lights of Medina (#1), My Miss Tapit (#3) and Moana (#7).

My Miss Tapit won her first two starts at Gulfstream. Her win over Actress in the restricted Game Face on April 22 took on more significance when the latter returned to beat Lights of Medina and Moana in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2).

Unchained Melody (#2) has a big chance after a sharp allowance score over the track at the expense of Jamyson 'n Ginger, who was making her first start since a close second in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and could not get to her. While I am ordinarily cautious with young fillies first time in a graded stake, this situation is an exception, because the mother of all gooses this is not.

A - 2, 4

B - 3, 6

United Nations (Mth, 11th, 5:57): How you feel about Beach Patrol (#1) is probably the key to this three-turn affair. The Chad Brown-trained son of Lemon Drop Kid   is the only member of the nine-horse field with a grade 1 title, and that was earned in the Secretariat Stakes by a desperate head over Long Island Sound, who was subsequently life-and-death to prevail in a grade 3 event at Dundalk in Ireland.

The Secretariat remains Beach Patrol's only success from nine graded-stakes tries, but he is in position to control the pace here. Further, this is not the deepest U.N. field ever assembled, considering that Bigger Picture (#3), who was eighth at better than 60-1 last year, is 4-1 on the morning line this time. 

The California-based runners, Itsinthepost (#2) and Liam the Charmer (#6) were a half-length apart in the recent Charlie Whittingham Stakes (G2T), and fit well here.

Messi (#5) rates a look at what will likely be double-digit odds for Graham Motion. He has been out only once this year, finishing third in the Fort Marcy Stakes (G3T) on yielding turf, but that was also the case with the Motion-trained Ascend, whose only 2017 appearance prior to winning the Woodford Reserve Manhattan (G1T) at boxcar odds of 27-1 was a win in the ungraded Henry S. Clark Stakes on rain-softened footing.

Messi is as good as any of these on his best day, and in the wake of Better Talk Now losing his battle with colic earlier this week, he is an easy sentimental choice for one of racing's classiest operations.

A - 1, 5

B - 2, 3, 6

Smile Sprint (GP, race 13, 6:06): Delta Bluesman (#8) dueled through fast fractions winning this race by nearly four lengths a year ago. He was in raging form at the time, though, and has struggled through five defeats this year, four of them at odds of 8-5 or lower.

Meanwhile, Imperial Hint (#2) was on an upward trajectory over the winter, winning three in a row climaxed by a front-running romp in the General George Stakes (G3) over 18-time winner and $1.4 million earner Stallwalkin' Dude. Three straight bullet works suggest he is ready to roll first time back.

Awesome Banner (#3) was close behind Delta Bluesman in the Sunshine Millions Sprint back in January, and could have the upper hand for the rematch after a bang-up third in the Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3) behind the talented Whitmore and two-time grade 1 winner A.P. Indian.

Quijote (#4) recently got a change of scene and a trainer change, and responded with a fast win in the Big Drama against Florida-breds for trainer Armando De la cerda.

A - 2, 3

B - 4

C - 8