McGee: How I'll play Keeneland on Sunday, April 15

I’ll start off the nine-race Sunday card with what I hope is a wire-to-wire winner of the 1:05 p.m. Eastern opener, YANKTON (5), who gets a triple-dose of firsts for ever-capable trainer Phil Sims. He’s a first-time gelding going for a first tag when stretching out for the first time when exiting one of those rugged Oaklawn MSWs that drew a full field; looking for Gabriel Saez, who has enjoyed a terrific start to this spring meet, to go straight to the lead.

I’ll bet Yankton straight, along with a cold early double with R2 contender PRINCESS LULU (5), who goes turf to dirt for Jimmy Baker when finding a soft field of N3L $20K fillies.

Then, I’ll take a burgoo break before diving headlong into the late pick five (R5-9), focusing on EIGHT TOWN as a R8 single. He could be favored out of those two tough Gulfstream stakes, although Recruiting Ready is listed as the M/L choice (but really hasn’t taken his game to the next level as a 4-year-old). In all, it’s a $94 day (not counting the burgoo and beverages) ….

Here are the plays:
R1
– $20 win Yankton (5)
– $10 double 5-5

Straight-A pick five
R5: 4, 8, 9, 11
R6: 1, 7, 8, 9
R7: 4, 10
R8: 4
R9: 1, 4, 7, 8