Longshot of the Day: Race 8 at Turf Paradise

Track: Turf Paradise

Horse: #10 Briggs Armypower (8/1) use as win bet at 5/1 or higher

Race #8: 7:16 PM ET

Conditions: Lost Fog Juvenile going 6 ½ furlongs on dirt for 2YO

Analysis: Let’s head to the sunshine of Arizona for a longshot today in the feature contest at Turf Paradise where a field of 12 juvenile is set to faceoff. Typically, juvenile sprints feature a preponderance of speed, but the field today lacks the sort of pace meltdown you might suspect. As a result, Briggs Armypower stands out as a horse that should sit an ideal trip from an outside post. The son of Army Mule was bred in Kentucky but only sold for $2,000 despite coming from a productive, albeit pedestrian, female family. His four half-siblings have all won multiple times, but that success came at the claiming and optional claiming levels. Still, it’s a workmanlike family given the dam (Powertap) was bred to the likes of Oxbow, Dialed In, Keen Ice, and Hightail. The modest sales price on Briggs Armypower likely points to a potential medical red flag at the time of sale, which could have cleared up given how well the horse has run to start his career. While breaking your maiden in debut at Arapahoe might not have the same cache at doing so at Saratoga, the fact the horse has won three times in four starts including a stakes victory last time out speaks to his overall talent. The horse has shown great professionalism, tracking closely off the pace in each of his four races and showed even more by winning the Gold Rush Futurity where he closed from toward the back of the field and was driving at the wire. The extra half furlong today should not be too much to ask since new trainer Esteban Martinez has been putting in solid five-furlong works to build up his foundation since coming to Turf Paradise. Martinez is winning an astonishing 47% of his entries this meet and previously won this race with One in Vermillion back in 2022. From a pace standpoint, #6 Little to No Money (10/1) should break up top, but Briggs Army has the second-best early speed in the field, and his outside post draw should give him the perfect opportunity to closely track a reasonable pace. Your morning line favorite, #7 Go Sparky (3/1) is certainly a legitimate threat, but is coming off victories over AZ-bred runners. The biggest concern I have for Briggs Armypower is that he is switching off Lasix and Bute for today’s race, which could be an issue, but that risk is baked into the price. Otherwise, he is a three-time winner in four starts, has a stakes victory, good early speed, and the highest career Beyer Speed Figure (71) in the field.