Expert Pick of the Week: 2022 Aristides Stakes

Jun 02, 2022 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A talented and well-matched field of eight will go postward in the $200,000 Aristides S. at Churchill Downs on Saturday. The six-furlong dash on the dirt attracted a fine cast in what appears to be a competitive betting contest.

Top Gunner has been in very good form for conditioner John Ortiz and exits a fine tally in the St. Matthews S. on the surface last time out. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

The five-year-old Into Mischief gelding has really come into his own dating back to the fall, winning or placing in seven consecutive sprint events. He picked up his first win at Churchill Downs in his most recent endeavor with a powerful run throughout, and he has posted a pair of solid morning drills in the interim.

Top Gunner is drawn well for Saturday and could control things from the start in a field oddly lacking front-running types. If the bay breaks well beneath Reylu Gutierrez, as expected, then I believe he will be especially tough to run down in the stretch en route to his second straight black-type score.

Whitmore S. (G3) champ Bob’s Edge possesses the best turn of foot in the cast for trainer Larray Jones. The four-year-old Competitive Edge gelding has run very well from a trio of tries in 2022, and the bay is a dual winner on this oval. He comes in fresh following a solid try behind champion Jackie’s Warrior over a sloppy, sealed strip at Oaklawn and will be charging home down the lane with Adam Beschizza in the controls.

Steve Asmussen’s Jalen Journey will track the pace from second or third early and figures to be looming large turning for home at a nice price. The talented son of With Distinction is one-for-one beneath the Twin Spires and seems set for a big performance while making his third start off the layoff. Riacrdo Santana, Jr. will guide the upset contender.

An exacta with #6 Top Gunner on top of #5 Bob’s Edge and #7 Jalen Journey in the Aristides Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.