Blockade, Exclamation Point top solid nine-race card
LEXINGTON, Ky. – What the Thursday card at Keeneland lacks in stakes action it makes up in other areas. Four allowances form the core of an excellent nine-race program that starts at 1:05 p.m. Eastern and is supposed to mark a turning point in what so far has been a rough meet weather-wise.
A welcome warming trend will finally bring spring to Kentucky, with sunshine and high temperatures of 76 (Thursday) and 79 (Friday) sure to relegate the hats and scarves to the closet. The quality of racing should further heighten an upbeat mood, with sizable fields for much of the day.
:: KEENELAND CLOCKER REPORT: Get workout grades and comments for the spring meet
Here’s a quick look at each of those allowances:
Race 4 (2:45): This oversubscribed field of 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf is perhaps the deepest on the card, with a handful of contenders likely to vie for favoritism. Five of the 12 in the main body of the $76,000 first-level race are exiting a maiden victory at either Gulfstream Park or Tampa Bay Downs, with all of those wins coming by less than a length.
Blockade, with Jose Ortiz riding for Shug McGaughey, figures as one of the fans’ choices despite drawing post 12, although One Fast Ride should draw attention after finishing fourth in the Columbia at Tampa.
Race 6 (3:51): Horses based in Florida and Louisiana for the winter had their form tested repeatedly during the opening three-day weekend of this 16-day spring meet, far more so than horses from Oaklawn Park, where the 2018 meet does not end until Saturday. But here’s a good early gauge of Oaklawn form, with Exclamation Point putting his 2 for 2 record on the line in a $78,000 second-level race for 3-year-olds at the Beard Course distance of seven furlongs and 184 feet.
Exclamation Point, trained by Brad Cox, could have He Hate Me and Grandpa Knows Best as his top threats.
Race 7 (4:24): Twelve older horses are signed on for this $78,000 second-level race at a mile on the turf, and it’s another really deep one. Snap Decision returns from a six-month layoff as a major player for Ortiz and McGaughey, while trainers Mark Casse (Keep Quiet and Dance Strike) and Ian Wilkes (Mr Cub and McCormick) each will be represented by two solid contenders.
Krampus, Makarios, and Brucarita also rate close consideration in a tough lineup.
Race 8 (4:57): Ralph Nicks, in from his Florida base with a small string, will have his first starter of the meet when he gives Ortiz a leg up on Time Travel, a talented 4-year-old who has been gelded since his last start nine months ago. Other older horses meriting a long look in this $76,000 first-level race at 6 1/2 furlongs include Bourbon Country, Zipp On By, Because It’s Time, and Spikes Shirl.
