I’m looking at a competitive 10-race card at Keeneland with a good mix of dirt and turf races, maiden and allowance fields, plus stakes action in the Phoenix, Jessamine, and Alcibiades.
There are several races where I have solid opinions, but Race 9 stands out as my strongest race of the day with an A- grade. I also have four B+ races on the card, so there should be some good opportunities to find value without having to force a play in every race.
Best Bet – Race 9: #5 Summer Starlet
Summer Starlet is my strongest top selection on the card and leads my only A- graded race. I have #8 Elewene and #1 Emphatic behind her, but Summer Starlet is the horse I’m leaning on most heavily here.
Race 1 – #3 Noroomformischief
I like Noroomformischief to get the day started. This is one of my B+ races, with #10 Mom’s Cheesecake and #8 Queen of Queens completing my top three.
Race 5 – #4 Should’ve
Should’ve tops another race where I have a little more confidence. I’ll also be watching #6 Rocket Rania and #12 Laigina, especially if either offers some value on the board.
Race 7 – #4 Verifire
In the Phoenix, I’m siding with #4 Verifire over #10 Nakatomi and #8 Hymn. This is another B+ race for me and one of the more interesting spots on the card.
Race 8 – #5 Seneca Park
I have Seneca Park on top in Race 8, followed by #11 Elegante Miz and #6 Glycogen. This is another race where I’ll be paying close attention to the tote board before deciding how aggressive I want to be.
Race 10 – #12 The Brigade
I’ll finish the card with #12 The Brigade as my top choice. #7 My Boy Tony and #9 Lazlo round out my selections in another B+ race.
My Approach
This looks like the kind of Keeneland card where I want to pick my spots rather than chase every race. Race 9 is where I have my strongest opinion, while Races 1, 5, 7, 8, and 10 give me several additional opportunities if the prices cooperate.
As always, I’m looking for the right combination of opinion and value. A horse I like at a fair price is much more interesting to me than forcing a short-priced favorite simply because it looks obvious.
Good luck at Keeneland, and let’s find a few winners.
