King's preview: Allowance has stakes sizzle
The final week of racing at the fall meet at Keeneland begins Wednesday, and though the card lacks a stakes race, it has an allowance, the featured seventh, loaded with stakes horses.
A $64,000 money allowance at a mile on turf, it has such unrestricted conditions that numerous stakes horses are eligible, including Grade 2 winner CYBER SECRET (#9, 6-1) and Grade 1 winner JOHA (#10, 8-1).
Although they are threats - more so JOHA, the more experienced of the two racing on grass - others rate ahead of them.
The choice of this handicapper is FREE WORLD (#8, 5-2), a multiple stakes winner with a 7-for-12 record. He just blew away optional claimers at Churchill last month at a mile on grass, earning a 103 Beyer Speed Figure.
He is a horse that wants the lead, and isn’t anywhere near as effective when he doesn’t get it, but he appears the quickest of these.
Second selection EDGE OF REALITY (#11, 5-1) is 2 for 5 this year, taking a pair of Pennsylvania-bred stakes, one on turf and one on synthetic. And before horseplayers turn up their noses at him for winning in restricted company, take note that he proved his quality in open company last year with a win in the Grade 3 Smarty Jones on the Parx main track.
Spot plays
Race 2: JEWELYNAMBER (#6, 5-1) ran a close fourth in what seemed a stronger field of $10,000 claimers earlier in the meet, and might be able to establish a clear lead, though she is just as comfortable pressing the pace.
Race 6: ROD MCLEOD (#8, 8-1) showed quality speed after a troubled start when returning from a layoff Sept. 26 at Churchill, and held on well to be third. He seems well regarded by his connections, who put him in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special this summer, though he ran ninth. He is a value play based on his morning line.
Race 8: BARLEY TWIST (#7, 3-1) might drift up a bit from his morning line because his only good race came on turf at Kentucky Downs. But his connections ran him on dirt for the first four races of his career, so at least initially they didn't view him as strictly a turf horse. He owns the top last-race Beyer, a 63.