US expert Tom Collins fancies expensive flops to fire at Will Rogers Downs

Litany
10.45 Will Rogers Downs
1pt winPotomac
11.15 Will Rogers Downs
2pts winGiven the relatively low prize-money and status of Will Rogers Downs, watching $1million horses take to the mile-round oval track isn't a regular occurrence.

However, that is the case today as Litany, who cost seven figures as a yearling and now makes his debut at the Oklahoma venue for trainer Chris Hartman.

A son of the brilliant Curlin out of Grade 1-winning mare River's Prayer, Litany is bred in the purple and plenty would have been expected from him when he was purchased for that whopping sum back in August 2017.

Originally with Chad Brown, Litany was tried in a maiden special weight contest at Aqueduct in March 2018 and could only beat one home.

That was the one and only start he made for the top US trainer as Litany was then sent to Brad Cox, for whom he ran last in a Churchill Downs contest in November.

Litany was then sent to the sales in January and fetched just $17,000 as Hartman purchased the previously highly regarded gelding.

The four-year-old has shown improved form since joining Hartman and being dropped in class to maiden claiming company, recording form figures of 474 on his last three outings at Oaklawn Park.

Different tactics were tried last time over 6f as Litany was held up almost last in the early stages before fairly flying home in the stretch to finish a never-nearer fourth at the line.

That effort indicated that Litany might need a longer trip and it hasn't taken Hartman long to step him up to a mile in this $19,800 maiden special weight (10.45) as he seeks a first career success at the seventh attempt.

He has drawn gate six of 11, which isn't ideal, but he has the early speed to go forward and can prove he was a shrewd purchase.

The feature $20,900 allowance (11.15) race contains another expensive purchase in Potomac, who was bought for $350,000 by China Horse Club back in 2016.

This son of Speightstown took a while to deliver on the track but has recorded seven successes from 23 starts in his career so far, the latest of which came when he fended off four rivals to win a $65,000 claimer at Saratoga in August last year.

He has only had three starts since and barring the first of those where he finished third at Aqueduct in December (good speed figure), Potomac has yet to replicate the form he showed last year.

His last two starts have come at Oaklawn Park, so I'm hinging my hopes on the fact that a couple of slow starts didn't help and that he hated the Arkansas track.

If that's the case then he is a clear standout on his Will Rogers debut. The Kentucky-bred horse has by far the best form in the book, comes here rock-hard fit and leading US trainer Steve Asmussen has booked promising rider Lane Luzzi.

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