Mohaymen Leads Five Rivals in Grade 2 Holy Bull

Mohaymen is the 6/5 morning line favorite after winning all three starts as a two year-old, including a pair of grade 2 stakes victories in the Nashua and Remson. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee has recorded a series of eye-catching works at Palm Meadows since his last start, and McLaughlin boasts an excellent 22% mark with runners returning from layoffs of 61-180 days. The $2.2 million dollar yearling purchase by Shadwell Stable has looked the part at every stage of his precocious career and seems primed for another big effort with regular rider Junior Alvarado in the irons breaking from post 2.

No value on Greenpointcrusader

Greenpointcrusader (8/5) is too short of a price if he stays near his morning line odds. The son of Bernardini won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes as a two year-old, but the victory came over a sloppy racetrack. The 94 Beyer he earned for his marquee win dwarfed figures earned over dry racing strips, and the colt’s only try around two turns resulted in a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the favorite. The work tab is only average in preparation for his return, and the barn connects at just 10% with its 61-180-day layoff runners.

Big E needs improvement to factor

The rest of the field seems badly outclassed with the exception of Conquest Big E (7/2) who is capable of staying within reach of the top two. The Mark Casse trainee has worked well for his return, firing a bullet work - five furlongs in a minute flat - January 18 at Palm Meadows.