With much of the country focusing on statebred stakes Saturday, Keeneland is the lone track to offer a graded stakes race. And it is a good one – the Grade 2 Raven Run, a $250,000, seven-furlong contest for 3-year-old fillies that drew both depth and quality. Thirteen fillies are entered, and seemingly at least five of them have about the same chance of winning.
The day appears set to get off to a chalky start. THREE BLONDES and SUSAN B GOOD have been knocking heads and taking turns beating one another on turf the past few months. The day’s opener appears to be in their hands.
There are several promising second-time-starting juveniles on this 10-race card of Polytrack races.
The final pick three of the day (races 7-9) at Santa Anita may involve two maiden races but neither seems inscrutable, as can often be the case. They sandwich a competitive grass event where you may find a price.
After clouds and rain for much of the past week in central Kentucky, the sun is finally shining, making for a good day of racing at Keeneland. Still, after all the precipitation, the turf course is expected to be yielding for Friday’s Grade 3 Valley View.
BreezeFigs Quick-Pix for Saturday, October 18th by Bob Fierro and Jay Kilgore.
Rain Wednesday night and into early morning washed all five of Thursday’s scheduled grass races to a wet main track at Belmont Park, and it remains to be seen how many of Friday’s four turf races stay on.
How have 3-year-olds performed in the Breeders’ Cup over the years? I dug up the last 10 years' worth of Breeders’ Cup charts to see how the 3-year-olds ran.
The combination of a less-than-ideal distance and questionable recent form means Ben's Cat is vulnerable in the Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park. I prefer Talk Show Man, even with his tough outside post.
Continued rain in central Kentucky has resulted in an off track at Keeneland for Thursday’s races and the sixth race being moved from turf to dirt. The featured Sycamore Stakes remains on the grass, however, and will be contested on soft going – at least that was its status at 10:30 a.m.
