Exotics Plays for the Colonel E. R. Bradley S.

A full field of 14 will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Fair Grounds turf in Saturday’s $100,000 Colonel E. R. Bradley S. This seems like an ideal race lacking a standout in the crew to spread with multiple runners, and I will do so with my plays. 

Colonel Bradley Exotics

• $3 exacta key box 10 with 1,7,11 ($18)
• 50-cent trifecta box 1,7,10,11 ($12)
• 10-cent superfecta 1,10 with 1,7,10,11 with 1,7,10,11 with all ($13.20)

Multiple stakes winner #10 City Man (12-1) was winless from a handful of turf tries in 2024, but the son of Mucho Macho Man remains an especially consistent eight-year-old who is always in the hunt for a top-three placing in his races. 

By Mucho Macho Man, the dark bay comes in fresh in advance of his first run for trainer Rob Atras and shows a trio of solid morning drills at this locale leading up to his initial run over the course. The New York-bred combines good positional speed with a nice turn of foot, and I envision him being well placed as the field turns for home with Jeiron Barbosa inheriting the mount. 

Stakes hero #1 Northern Invader (5-1) has speed and the rail for trainer Cherie DeVaux. The 2023 Woodchopper S. runner-up will race as a gelding for the initial time in his first appearance since the summer. The Collected five-year-old put in a swift half-mile drill in his most recent morning move and will be disputing the lead early with Luis Saez up. 

#7 Gigante (7-2) is a two-time stakes winner on the surface and comes off a measured score in the Buddy Diliberto Memorial S. for conditioner Steve Asmussen. The Not This Time five-year-old is not a great win bet at short odds in my opinion, but I really like his chances to finish in the top four with Jose Ortiz taking the reins. 

The well-bred #11 Wadsworth (5-1) has finished first or second in each of his five lifetime runs on the weeds and could peak in his third run off the extended absence. Conditioned by Brad Cox, the son of Quality Road was a head second to a nice horse two back at Churchill Downs, and I feel that he will be in a great spot late with even minor improvement off of that effort. Florent Geroux has the call.