Bob is on the LA Chargers -3 1/2 this week as his top pick in the Wiseguys Contest.
You know what to do.
View attachment 139274
Bob is on the LA Chargers -3 1/2 this week as his top pick in the Wiseguys Contest.
You know what to do.
View attachment 139274
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We got roughed up in the Changes Dept. this morning as top choices in Races 5, 6 and 10 went by way of the scratch - including our day’s best Struck At Midnight in that middle race. We regroup and recalibrate with a $103,126 pick 6 carryover on the line. Fast track, good turf on a beautiful autumn day in Lexington, where favorites went 0-for-10 Thursday in a rapid plot twist to a formful meeting. Jose Ortiz won 3 races, while Kenny McPeek and Cherie DeVaux turned the corner with their first wins of a slow start to the stand. David Jacobson had one run a hole in the wind Thursday, so Antique Silver in Race 5 might be a pick 6 single to open things. Chris Hartman has a couple today that I love, Race 8 #9 Tiz Authority and Race 10 #7 Kentucky Smokeshow. Add those in with Race 3 #8 Beautiful McKinzie as my key plays on the card. Yesterday we got a key play home at a $21 win mutuel to build some steam. Today’s updated picks after scratches: Here’s my Keeneland.com stats & trends blog for Friday: Jeremy Plonk’s Keeneland Keys for Friday, October 10, 2025 What to Watch for Today: Carryovers in the pick 6 ($103,126) and Toyota Super High 5 ($10,548) add extra zip to the Friday lineup. Stakes action returns in Race 9 with the Grade 2 $400,000 Sycamore Stakes for turf marathoners, including 2025 Spring Meet Elkhorn Stakes hero Utah Beach looking for a season sweep of sorts. There will be no Keeneland Turf Pick 3 on Friday with grass races slated only for Races 7 and 9. Handicapping Head-start: Be sure to join me at 8:30 pm ET on the night before each racing day’s card for the Keeneland Look-Ahead video podcast. It streams live on the Keeneland YouTube page as well on Twitter/X @Keenelandracing and @Horseplayernow. Weather: Sunny skies with temps nearing 70 are in the forecast. My Selections: You can get my top 3 picks in each race on the track simulcast feed before each race as well on the Keeneland.com handicappers’ consensus page (https://www.keeneland.com/racing/wagering/handicappers-conensus). Keeneland Handicapping 101: Most information is gleaned from the free Keeneland Handicapping database (http://apps.keeneland.com/awstats/Default.asp) that you can manipulate and search for yourself as well! 1st Race Starter allowance sprinters open the early pick 5 at 6 furlongs. Favorites are just 12-44 in Fall Meet starter allowance sprints with an average winner 5.5-1 odds. The average winner is only a length off the lead after the first half-mile and no winner has closed more than 3-1/2 lengths. Motown Dynamic was the only wire-to-wire winner on dirt in such a race on Thursday’s card. Busk should show inside speed and has been consistent with 10 straight in-the-money finishes, including a Spring Meet win over this trip at Keeneland. Shape Note is the morning line favorite and fits the conditions well – both horses come off Churchill preps, which have produced 20 of the 44 winners in these Fall starter sprints. Turn Up the Trees also hails via Churchill, has the requisite early speed and his trainer David Jacobson had a razor-sharp winner on Thursday. 2nd Race Non-winners of 2 lifetime (N2L) claimers sprint 6 furlongs as the early pick 4 gets underway. Churchill preppers dominate with 42 victories in Fall Meet N2L claimers over the years, including both N2Ls on Thursday (no other circuit more than 1…Ellis, next-best Indy with 10). Churchill reps here include Cinnamon Sugar and Magic Seeker. About a third of these race winners in N2L claimers made surface changes from turf or synthetic, so while it’s not preferred, it’s not a big hindrance. Trainer Eddie Kenneally has a sharp 5 wins in N2L claimers in Fall Meets on dirt, and Ashkenazi is his rep, while Wesley Ward has 7 such N2L Fall scores (most of any barn) and counters with Satisfied Mind. Both those runners attempt surface changes. 3rd Race Two-year-old maiden special weights sprint 6-1/2 furlongs in this one, and a split division of this race will go as Race 6. We’ve had 25 such MSW races for 2YOs at this distance in Fall Meets, favorites winning 12 of 25. Winners have expectedly been evenly divided between first-time starters (9) and Churchill preppers (9) as most MSW sprints are at Keeneland this time of year. First-timers have won all 4 such 2YO MSW dirt sprint races at the current meet. The average winner has been a half-length back after the first half-mile and no winner closed more than 3-1/2 lengths. Demand speed from the experienced horses and anticipate it from the rookies. Trainer Eddie Kenneally’s Fall debut runners on dirt have a sharp 14: 3-3-1 record in these MSWs with a $2.29 ROI for every $1 bet. That points me heavily on Beautiful McKinzie with a consistent and strong workout tab. Of the experienced runners, Amazing Amanda is by razor-sharp local sire Vekoma and will be near the front throughout. 4th Race Dual-condition claimers sprint 7 furlongs. Favorites are 8-17 in past Fall Meet races for this class and distance with 13 winners at 9-2 or less odds. 8 of 17 winners prepped at Churchill Downs, 14 in dirt races and only 4 cut-back in distance from a longer race. Noble Gentleman, Big Salt Lick and Right On Right On are the Churchill sprint preppers in the cast who fit best. Big Salt Lick was a solid third here in the Spring Meet and the only horse in the field to have hit the board previously at Keeneland. Morning line favorite Truly Legit figures to contend, but is cutting back in distance vs. a field with some decent sprint options. 5th Race Lower-end $16,000 claimers match up over 6-1/2 furlongs in the opening leg of the pick 6 and its $103K carryover. We’ve had 40 Fall Meet open claiming dirt sprints at the $10K-$20K level and the average winner is a very representative 9-2 price. Favorites won just 12 of 40, so a contending price has been quite attractive. Churchill preppers won 10 of the 40, 5 from Horseshoe Indy and a smattering of other venues. No huge edges. Promises to Dance goes for a David Jacobson barn that won 2 similar races here in the Fall 2024 stand and popped a ‘wow’ winner here Thursday more recently. That’s my play via CD, along with Jacobson stablemate Antique Silver. Samarita is a 2-time winner over the track and offers a juicy 20-1 morning line price. Morning line favorite Hurricane Debbie also is a local dirt winner, breaking her maiden here in the 2022 Spring Meet when with Wesley Ward (she’s now with Saffie Joseph Jr.). 6th Race The late pick 5 starts with 2-year-old maiden special weights sprinting 6-1/2 furlongs (second division to what we saw in Race 3). We’ve had 25 such MSW races for 2YOs at this distance in Fall Meets, favorites winning 12 of 25. Winners have expectedly been evenly divided between first-time starters (9) and Churchill preppers (9) as most MSW sprints are at Keeneland this time of year. First-timers have won all 4 such 2YO MSW dirt sprint races at the current meet. The average winner has been a half-length back after the first half-mile and no winner closed more than 3-1/2 lengths. Demand speed from the experienced horses and anticipate it from the rookies. On pedigree, Endless Glory (by Nyquist) and Queen of Queens (by Practical Joke) intrigue some based on their sire’s excellent local numbers with offspring. Struck At Midnight has to show more speed than the debut to be competitive, but his dam was a good local allowance performer in her racing days and I loved this one’s debut race at Kentucky Downs where the 1-3-4 finishers all held with speed and he was the closer to make a dent. Joe Sharp’s limited starters are running well at the meet. Among the rookies, Justice Addition trainer Brad Cox’s 12 debut winners in 2YO Fall Meet races at Kee on dirt are most of any trainer, but interestingly 0 of those worked at Ellis Park (8 Keeneland, 4 Churchill), so it’s curious this horse wasn’t with the A-string in recent months. 7th Race We hit the turf for the first time Friday in this late pick 4 opener, a first-level (N1X) allowance on grass at 1-3/16 miles. Kentucky Downs preppers have won 8 of the first 17 turf races at the current Fall Meet and there are 5 such options in this race. This specific N1X ALW at 1-3/16 miles has been a regular part of the schedule a few times per Fall Meet. We’ve had 13 of them in the database since 2015 with just 1 winning favorite and an average winner nearly 10-1 odds. Only 1 of the winners had an extended layoff, nothing like morning-line favorite Vina Arana bids, away the past 13+ months. The average winner is 2-1/4 lengths back after the first half-mile (3 led at half, none closed more than 5-3/4 lengths at that point). Kentucky Downs (6) and Churchill Downs (5) are trading punches in wins. Eight of the 13 prepped at 1-1/8 miles or farther last out. Local course winners in this lineup include Faith Understood, Hay Stack, El Joury and also-eligible Celtic Charm. El Joury has a classy pedigree for the trip and good record over the course and should be in the more forward positions that have had success in this race, and is my tab. 8th Race Two-year-olds stretch out to 1-1/16 miles in this main-track maiden special weight. Form has held well with favorites 26-55 in these races over the past Fall Meets. The average winner is 1-3/4 lengths back after the first half-mile while 11 led at that point (only 5 closed more than 5 lengths at that juncture). Churchill preppers have 27 of 55 wins with New Yorkers next at 8 wins … note only 3 first-time starters to score. There’s no advantage to the distance of the last prep, 28 exiting sprints, 27 exiting routes. Todd Pletcher’s 5 wins in these races is second-most of any barn (Dale Romans’ 7) and he’ll send out Vinco Vici off Saratoga sprints. Beale Street Boy is by sire Street Sense, responsible for 3 similar winners in past Fall Meets, and this one add blinkers for a Ben Colebrook barn going mostly well at the Fall Meet so far. Of the Churchill preppers, Beale SDttreet Boy and Tiz Authority interest me most, the latter coming out of a fast race and I project he’ll route very well and is a big threat as the top pick. 9th Race Friday’s featured race is the Grade 2 $400,000 Sycamore Stakes at 1-1/2 miles on turf. We have 17 years of this race on turf in our database. Favorites underperform at 4-for-17 and the average winner has been a juicy 6.7-to-1 odds. No circuits have shown dominance in terms of preps, Kentucky Downs slightly best with 5 of the winners. None of the 17 winners led after the first half-mile and the average winner has been a whopping 7-1/4 lengths back at that point. Think closers. Utah Beach was third in this race last year and won the Spring counterpart, the Elkhorn, over this course and distance. Anglophile was third in that Spring edition of the Elkhorn and will try to give trainer Brian Lynch back-to-back winners of this race (won last year…also via KD like this one…with Highway Robber). The stakes prowess last week from Todd Pletcher (Grand Sonata) and Brendan Walsh (San Siro) must be respected in a very competitive renewal of the Sycamore. 10th Race Starter allowance sprinters close the card at 6-1/2 furlongs in the Toyota Super High 5 race and its $10K carryover. Favorites underperform at 13 for 44 in such Fall sprints with an average winner a healthy 5.5-to-1. The average winner at 6F at this class is 1-1/2 length off the lead after the first half-mile Churchill preppers dominate with 20 of 44 wins and dominate the entry box here with 9 of the 11. Atarah fits the conditions best of all with a romping CD win for the max $50K level to be eligible. Brunch With Amy was second to that one in Louisville and factors right back, while trainer Chris Hartman may be sitting on a good day and has both Kentucky Smokeshow and Bolt On the Rocks here. Up The Creek is the only horse in the field with a local win vs. a mostly inexperienced cast over this surface. |
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