Personal Diary makes her return in Saturday's Grade 1 Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland for the first time since finishing fourth by three lengths in the Grade 2 Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 15. The second- and seventh-place finishers from that 1 1/16-mile turf race came back to win their next starts in graded stakes races.
The first three races of the day seem fairly inscrutable, and with short fields in each, it makes the prospect of finding a price option that much tougher. A few runners later on the card, however, could be key for in-race and multirace plays.
Lots of interesting races at Keeneland on Saturday, but I settled on the late pick four as the most intriguing.
Download DRF Plus handicapping reports for Saturday's races, including DRF Daily GamePlan, the Positive ROI Report, and Key Race Report.
DRF handicapper Dan Illman provides his best plays for Saturday's program at Keeneland.
UZZIEL (#4, 8-1) is up against Beholder in Friday’s Santa Lucia Stakes at Santa Anita, hence high odds. Uzziel set/pressed hot fractions her last two starts and is due for an easier trip. Not sure if she’ll get it facing both Beholder and Tiz Midnight, but at 8-1 Uzziel offers value on the front end.
Some good-sized, competitive fields in the day’s final three contests give the last pick three of the day some appeal.
Had a strong day last Saturday, with $18.40 and $39.40 winners. This week, we’ll keep it short, with just three “Bet This” plays. Again, let’s use DRF Formulator to look at a few plays around the country. Formulator allows you to see the lifetime past performances of horses who have run in the past five years for any trainer who has horses entered, as well as charts, replays, filters, and more. With access to this database and with one-click access to replays, it can allow you to see some things that aren’t readily available to the betting public.
I’m going to rely on Jimmy Toner taking advantage of RECEPTA still being eligible for a two-other-than condition when the filly returns from a layoff in the Sunday finale (race 9).
Call Pat battles a field of seven in Friday's ninth race at Oaklawn Park, the 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 Apple Blossom. Trainer Brad Cox is winning 31 percent of his starts in route races, for a return on investment of $2.65.
