Meet hits midway point Wednesday

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 17-day Keeneland fall meet hits its exact midpoint Wednesday when a pair of allowances (races 4 and 7) for females anchor an eight-race card that starts at the usual 1:05 p.m. Eastern.

Race 4 is a $71,000, first-level allowance route for which Market Rumor is the 7-5 program favorite when facing five other fillies and mares. The Ian Wilkes-trained filly most recently was a close second in the Sept. 7 Weber City Miss at Laurel Park.

Race 7 is a $73,000, second-level allowance sprint that drew a well-matched field of nine 3-year-old fillies. Lexi On the Move, third in a similar spot last month at Churchill Downs, is a lukewarm 7-2 morning-line choice for trainer Robertino Diodoro.

After Wednesday, there will be one graded stakes per day the rest of the week here – the Grade 3 Sycamore on Thursday, the Grade 3 Valley View on Friday, the Grade 2 Raven Run on Saturday, and the Grade 3 Dowager on Sunday. That’ll tap out the stakes schedule, with no stakes being run during the final four-day stretch (Oct. 21-24).

Gaffalione to the fore

Fresh off riding titles at the Kentucky Downs and Churchill September meets, Tyler Gaffalione has assumed command of the jockeys’ race at Keeneland by riding 11 winners through the first eight cards. Luis Saez (nine wins) is second in the standings but has not ridden here since opening weekend (Oct. 2-4). Florent Geroux is next with seven wins.

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Mike Maker, who earned his sixth Keeneland training title last fall with eight wins, already has reached that total when leading the current standings. He’s followed closely by Brad Cox (six) and Steve Asmussen (five).

Mott plays it just right

Bill Mott not only won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for the second time when Harvey’s Lil Goil prevailed Saturday, but the Hall of Fame trainer also made a well-calculated scratch of Antoinette from that Grade 1 race when saving her for the Valley View on Friday.

Antoinette, a Godolphin homebred by Hard Spun, was the runner-up in her last start, the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks, behind Magic Attitude, who was third as the favorite in the QE II. Antoinette was assigned the far outside post in a field of 12 3-year-old turf fillies in what shapes up as a terrific renewal of the Valley View, the ninth of 10 races Friday.