Marathon winners abound in 12-furlong allowance

With eight days of racing in the books, Wednesday’s eight-race card at Keeneland begins the back half of this fall meet, with nine days of racing remaining.

The richest of three allowance races on Wednesday’s card is a $120,000 conditioned allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/2 miles on the turf, which should continue to be firm in what has been a dry October in the Lexington area. In the main body of the field of 12 for this race, which drew an overflow cast at the entry box, Goldeneye, King Curlin, Six Minus, and Wind Twist have scored wins at this distance. Of those, Goldeneye and King Curlin have recency that gives them an edge.

Goldeneye scored his 12-furlong win in his most recent start, winning on the front end at Kentucky Downs. King Curlin posted his victory at this distance in January before going on to make his next four starts in stakes company – three of those graded. He drops in class Wednesday.

The card has two other $110,000 allowance races for 3-year-olds and up. A 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares provides an interesting match between Penny’s Smile, who recently moved to turf, and Royal Slipper, who is trying the surface for the first time off a long layoff.

Penny’s Smile won her maiden in her fourth career start for Phil Sims, moving to the turf for the first time to go six furlongs at Kentucky Downs. She was never far off while stalking the pace in second before scoring a gritty half-length win. She and the front-running Royal Slipper should be in contact throughout.

Royal Slipper won her debut last October sprinting six furlongs on Keeneland’s main track and was most recently seen finishing third in the Desi Arnaz at seven furlongs last November at Del Mar for Wesley Ward. Although she is a half-sister to dirt Grade 1 winner Bast, and from the family of several other dirt Grade 1 winners, her sire, Uncle Mo, is a multi-surface talent who sired turf sprinter Golden Pal for Ward.

Generous Tipper, for the team of Kenny McPeek and Brian Hernandez Jr., perhaps provides some value in the day’s third allowance, a $110,000 event for 3-year-olds and up going nine furlongs on dirt. He was last seen at Keeneland passing tiring foes to be third in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity to Locked and The Wine Steward. He made his first start in more than 11 months in an allowance race at Churchill Downs last month, finishing seventh. The good news is that he should move forward off that race. The bad news is that a lack of committed speed to provide a target in this field could hinder him.