US racing tips: Tom Collins heads to Aqueduct for his Saturday selections

Flavius
8.43 Aqueduct
2pts win

Bistrita
9.13 Aqueduct
1pt win

Aqueduct's winter meet kicked off on Thursday and although there's two more weeks of turf racing scheduled for the year, forecast bad weather is likely to cut that spell short.

However, it would be a surprise if they didn't leave the featured $150,000 Artie Schiller Stakes (8.43) on the grass and any give underfoot is sure to suit the ex-Dermot Weld-trainedFlavius, who has competed at the highest level for Chad Brown.

This son of War Front won two of his three races in Ireland on rain-softened ground and has been relatively lightly raced since he switched yards. He has achieved some lofty speed figures for Brown, most notably when fifth in last year's Grade 1 Turf Mile, but hasn't been the most prolific during his time in the US.

He's only been seen twice since May and is sure to be primed to record a fifth victory now he drops in grade. The inside stall should allow him to stalk the pace under Jose Ortiz.

Just half an hour later, Bistrita is fancied to win on debut in the closing $43,000 maiden claimer (9.13) for New York-bred two-year-old fillies.

She has been found a nice spot by trainer Jeremiah Englehart, who boasts an 18 per cent strike-rate (7-38) with his debutants this year. Gormley's progeny tend to be precocious and Bistrita has strong claims of landing the nightcap from stall three after a series of eyecatching workouts.

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