Fair odds: Flashy Gem will have to catch Icicles in Wintergreen

It’s the horse-racing version of the age-old question. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

Playing the role of the unstoppable force is Icicles, who looks to be lone speed in the Wintergreen Stakes on Saturday at 8:55 p.m. EST at Turfway Park. She is ideally drawn inside, and there is no reason to think she should not be able to make the lead as she did against seven others when winning the Likely Exchange Stakes at this track and distance six weeks.

The unmovable object is Flashy Gem, a 7 1/4-length winner at about 2-5 in an allowance race at this track and distance to conclude her 3-year-old season. This marks her 4-year-old debut, and she has run well off similar layoffs before.

Still, she will have to collar Icicles. At their morning-line prices of 8-5 for Flashy Gem and 5-2 for Icicles, I would lean toward Flashy Gem being the better play. But given her price last out, she likely will be underlaid, which could provide opportunity on Icicles.

Chop Chop is the toss of the logicals for me. An uncoupled stablemate of Flashy Gem via the Brad Cox barn, Chop Chop will have the most work to do late, and I just don’t see how this race sets up for her to pass both Icicles and Flashy Gem.

If the public completely ignores Thisnameisokay, then she might be the long shot to key with the logicals. She’ll be forwardly placed from the outside post and maybe can hang around as a sort of second lone speed behind Icicles.

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