Hello everyone. How y'all been? Got some free time on my hands. Thought I would handicap a race if you'll have me. FWIW ...

The favorite, NAVAJO WARRIOR, has won five of seven starts since switching to the Saffie Joseph barn and looks tough to beat, especially if allowed to dictate the pace, but what about BULLARD?

The son of GUN RUNNER fetched a pretty penny at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when he sold for almost $700K. [BLUSH WITH PRIDE DNA in his pedigree three generations back]

He showed promise as a 2yo when he became a graded stakes winner in only his second lifetime start. Unable to sustain that form as a 3yo, he was sidelined on the bench for almost eight months.

In his second race off the layoff as a 4yo, he made a 1/2-point move at Turfway over the synthetic, followed by another two-point improvement at Churchill two races back. Although he disappointed last time out as the favorite, McCarthy is running him back against stakes company anyway.

He has drawn the outside post in all four of his races this year, but this Saturday he starts from the rail. If he runs back to his top and gets a good trip, it could be good enough to hit the board. However, a new top could make things interesting.

What do you guys think? Can he run a new top, or is this all just a bunch of BULL-ARD?