April showers have brought us something else this year – eight straight days of racing at Keeneland. On the fifth day, let’s take a look at some spot plays on this nine-race card, which features a $45,904 pick 6 carryover (Races 4-9) and a $88,162 super hi 5 carryover (Race 9).
There are few things in life I love as much as a turf sprint, especially a turf sprint at Keeneland, so we’ll begin our attack in Race 4. Thursday’s forecast calls for a cloudy forecast in the high 50s so grab a cup of world-famous burgoo before giving our second spot play in the sixth race a try.
Race 4
Four races into the card and we finally have our first turf sprint, a 5-1/2 furlong try on the (blue) grass with a full field of 10 plus four also-eligibles. The #6 BRIGHT SKITTLE took the long way around back to Keeneland after his maiden debut at the end of last year’s Spring Meet. His former ownership was a syndicate whose main goal was getting a winner at Royal Ascot, so after the Keeneland try where he finished third, they sent her to Gulfstream’s Royal Palm Juvenile – a Royal Ascot qualifier – where he finished third again. With Royal Ascot off the table, BRIGHT SKITTLE then entered in a turf miler at Ellis Park AND the Fasig-Tipton Horses of Racing Age sale the next day. New owner Wachtel Stable, et al, plucked him out of the sale for a cool $195K and sent him over to the watchful eye of one Bill Mott. The new and improved version of BRIGHT SKITTLE we’ll see today gets a new trainer, first-time Lasix, and first-time blinkers right back where it all began at Keeneland.
The Play: #6 BRIGHT SKITTLE
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Race 6
We’ve made it to Race 6 for our first route allowance race of the afternoon, a $50,000 starter allowance going 1-1/16 miles over Keeneland’s dirt course. #9 DJANGO from Kenny McPeek’s barn makes his second start off a brief winter layoff at Keeneland following a just-barely-by-a-head second-place finish at the same level at Oaklawn on March 2. He spent the winter training at Keeneland, shipped to Oaklawn to earn a solid 82 Beyer, then came back to Keeneland and laid down a bullet 4-furlong work in :47 last Tuesday. This could be DJANGO…unchained. Look for him to sit off the field and use his solid late pace form to run by #5 MINISTERIAL.
The Play: #9 DJANGO
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