TREVOR’S CHOICE gets the nod

SHOULD TREVOR’S CHOICE repeat his November 2 performance when stepping up in class to face non-winners-of-three, stealing a march at five furlongs round, but found PRINCE CHARLES too improved and was caught a half-furlong out, trainer Alford Brown might just get away with recalling Shane Ellis to partner the speedster at 123lb in this afternoon’s Restricted Stakes at five and a half furlongs.

Outclassed by PRINCE CHARLES after disposing of much-too-heavy ROJORN DI PILOT, TREVOR’S CHOICE was clearly second best on the day, but carrying 110lb, 13 lighter than the 123lb Brown, has volunteered to now have him lug by ignoring apprentices at his disposal from two separate batches.

However, being a 46.0-on-the-bridle horse, taking the shortest route to the half-mile and into the lane, from post-position one, with no matching speed, TREVOR’S CHOICE could get away from rivals and might do the trick for Brown and Ellis.

TREVOR’S CHOICE outsped all of SOUL CURE, UNIVERSAL BOSS, FORMAL FASHION, NUCLEAR EVITA, WESTERN WHEELS, and CASUAL DRINK before PRINCE CHARLES came storming after a bad break. PRINCE CHARLES returned six days later to clock 1:18.4 at six and a half furlongs, carrying 121lb, and was back a month later, chasing home stablemate PATRIARCH in an overnight allowance, a five-furlong straight won in 57.3.

Whereas PRINCE CHARLES has franked the form, TREVOR’S CHOICE has had consecutive strokes of bad luck, first suffering a slipped saddle at five furlongs straight, down the track behind BOLD AFLAIR on November 2, then declared a non-runner, four weeks later, after Ellis was injured in a spill and no replacement rider was found for the last event of the day, the six-furlong Ron Ron Trophy, won by CRYPTOCURRENCY.

Brown has removed the blinkers off TREVOR’S CHOICE, who won wearing the equipment with Omar Walker astride, clocking 1:06.1 at this afternoon’s distance, on October 19, easily dismissing YETAGAIN. TREVOR’S CHOICE’s abundance of speed from an inside draw, as opposed to DUKE, the run-on sprinter, drawing wide at stall 11, could allow Ellis to slip away.

However, should TREVOR’S CHIOICE quit under the big weight, it will be a feeding frenzy of piranhas. The sneaky pair of SOUL CURE and FORMAL FASHION will be there, along with UNIVERSAL BOSS and late-closing DUKE, who will have Dane Nelson urging him to pick up the pace from early down the backstretch.