The Lead:
The Week 2 feature of the Keeneland Spring Meeting is this 1-1/16 miles turf tilt for the fillies and mares. The Jenny Wiley will be Race 9 of 11 on the Saturday program that co-features the Lexington Stakes. Horseplayers be sure to take part $10 Money-Back Special on all Kentucky Derby preps this season with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. That includes Saturday's Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.
Field Depth:
Grade 1 winners include DYNAMIC PRICING, SEGESTA and LUSH LIPS. DESTINO D'ORO is a multiple Grade 2 winner. MEDORO is Grade 1-placed. DYNAMIC PRICING and SEGESTA hold the strongest company lines having faced elder filly and mare turf division stars more often than their rivals Saturday.
Pace:
Quite modest. AUSSIE GIRL may be on the lead with LUSH LIPS in close accordance. There's not a lot of heat projected unless SEGESTA comes out humming from the outside.
Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.
#1-EXPENSIVE QUEEN: 3-for-4 in the US since exporting from England and coming to Brendan Walsh, including a local allowance win. Bar far her toughest test, and while she’s willing late, her BRIS late pace figures haven’t been strong enough this year to blow by all of these.
#2-FAST MARKET: John Terranova trainee comes off a November layoff and faces elder stakes fillies and mares for the first time. Vastly tougher bunch here than she’s faced with no hint she’s this level while losing Flavien Prat to Segesta. More worried about the competition than the layoff, but she does punch late.
#3-MEDORO: Disappointed twice at Fair Grounds when failing to deliver big efforts while racing on Lasix, edging a win at 6-5 and posting a runner-up at 3-5. Peter Eurton trainee may be more skilled on top-of-ground racing in California. Stable had some Week 2 Spring Meet success at Keeneland last year, but mare still seems a cut below the top runners here despite being another solid finisher.
#4-PIN UP BETTY: Veteran is 10-for-20 in the exacta but has done most of her damage at Churchill Downs and has just been okay over this course. Luis Saez jumps to ride Exclusive Queen as Mike Maker turns to Joel Rosario. Strong effort in a very difficult race last year off the winter break and that’s encouraging for this November returnee. But she’s just okay late on BRIS late pace figures.
#5-DYNAMIC PRICING: First of 2 for 7-time Jenny Wiley winner Chad Brown, whose charges have won this race 5 times in the last 7 years. She won her first start and won her 2025 return off an 8-month hiatus, so she’s got a history of firing fresh and has trained right on cue for her first try since October. In-betweener wasn’t good enough to take on the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and not enough stamina for the Filly & Mare Turf at 1-3/8 miles. This kind of Grade 1 and those at Churchill and Saratoga to come are in her wheelhouse.
#6-DEEP SATIN: Winless in 3 graded-stakes attempts to date, American Pharoah mare is just 1 for her last 6 and returns from a November layoff. She was a good second here in Spring 2025 off the bench in an allowance spot and has never run a bad race. Late kick has been lacking and it’s likely a no-lead, no-pass situation for her when they real running begins.
#7-LUSH LIPS (pictured): Elite last year against the sophomore turf filly class, she stepped into the elder ranks nicely Feb. 28 in Gulfstream’s Honey Fox, a move many don’t handle easily. Tactical running style keeps her in every race and she’s 10-for-10 in the exacta since coming to trainer Brendan Walsh. Win over the course a feather in her cap. She’s got wire-to-wire wins on her ledger and may be tasked with the pace in a race that lacks standout speed.
#8-DESTINO D’ORO: Like Lush Lips, she transitioned smoothly into the elder turf mare ranks in Florida this winter, winning the Pegasus World Cup Turf and the Hillsborough among a 3-stakes winning streak. Trainer Brad Cox won 3 graded stakes at Keeneland last Saturday and looks to keep that rolling. Late runner has put up highly competitive BRIS late pace figures in her last pair and has a penchant for winning the close ones (nose, half-length, head in her last 3 scores).
#9-AUSSIE GIRL: Most likely pacesetter Saturday exits a wire-to-wire score in the Grade 3 Endeavor at Tampa Bay Downs for Will Walden. It was her first time making the lead, but typically races forward and this pace could be to her liking. Ben Curtis was one of the most valuable stakes jockeys to follow in America last year. 6-year-old won her only Keeneland try during the 2024 Fall Meet and is 11-21 in the exacta.
#10-SEGESTA: Second of 2 Chad Brown trainees as he aims for a record-padding eighth Jenny Wiley win. She’s been a pure miler, so 1-1/16 miles from an outside draw may require she tuck in and not give away any additional ground from this draw -- or be hard-used to clear several runners early and then pay a price late for that. Flavien Prat has the task. The Grade 1 Matriarch winner and local Grade 1 First Lady runner-up hasn’t had strong BRIS late pace figures overall except her last start at a mile and certainly those numbers have been more flat the farther she goes.
Most Likely Exotics Contender:
LUSH LIPS hasn't missed an exacta in 10 straight races, has won over the course and should get a dynamite trip near the front, removing a lot of in-race variables.
Best Longshot Contender:
AUSSIE GIRL (8-1 ML) isn't a bomb, but this price could rise and she's going to be a factor in the early going in a race without much heat.
Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$45 exactas LUSH LIPS over DYNAMIC PRICING, DESTINO D'ORO ($90). $10 exacta LUSH LIPS over AUSSIE GIRL.
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