Keeneland is the boutique meet of the moment, and they do have two stakes Saturday. Bold Act is going to win the Elkhorn, but this space’s last foray into odds-on favoritism landed on Deterministic in the Wood. I don’t think Kingsbarns is going to win the Bel Ali but don’t know who will. Three other races at different venues feel more promising. Oaklawn Handicap Dating to 2000 (my favorite renewal of the race, won by the first horse I covered closely for DRF, K One King), a 4-year-old has won the Oaklawn Handicap 20 times. Proxy, one of the better winners of recent vintage, was the rare 5-year-old winner in 2023. And among five 4-year-olds in this renewal, Red Route One is the right one. We’re not talking here about a top-class older male dirt-route horse, but there is no such creature in this field. And Red Route One, in the wrong spot, can look baldly mediocre; it just happened two starts ago in the Mineshaft. The Mineshaft, and I’d argue that the three starts before it, were foundation-building experiences, keeping the horse in fine-tuned racing condition while awaiting the two races this spring he really fit: The New Orleans Classic, which he won, and the Oaklawn Handicap. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Why those two? Because they’re at 1 1/8 miles. Red Route One is an Oklahoma Derby nose away from being 5-4-0-0 in 1 1/8-mile contests. His only misfire came in the Arkansas Derby, but Red Route One ran three other representative races at Oaklawn and is just fine on the surface. Should the track come up wet, that’s also not an issue. Red Route One, a one-run closer lacking speed, cannot make his own race and depends on a strong pace. He ought to get one Saturday, with speed drawn in several sections of the gate. That includes morning-line favorite Skippylongstocking, who must come out running from his wide post. Skippy won the Charles Town Classic over 1 1/8 miles, but Charles Town’s homestretch is about one furlong, and Skippy better suits 1 1/16 miles. Red Route One did save ground in the New Orleans Classic until coming out in the final furlong to make his winning move. He also pulled away late despite failing to change leads. Red Route One is on the road to a repeat performance, if something slightly better doesn’t lie just around the bend. Danger’s Hour When Equitize’s name appeared in the Keeneland entries for the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile, I had approximately no idea who the horse was. Scratched from that tough spot, he winds up in the considerably softer Danger’s Hour, after which Equitize’s name might be better known. A thrice-started 4-year-old is a horse who has struggled to get on a solid pattern, but Equitize, quietly, is on one now. He worked steadily after the Hill Prince in November and has breezed without missing a week since he bossed first-level allowance foes Feb. 3 at Tampa Bay. The training pattern and the horse himself suggest we can expect a serious step forward Saturday. This is a grand-looking animal who has honed down since his career debut in March of his 3-year-old season. He travels strongly with good balance and has displayed high-level acceleration. He was somewhat hard to handle in his debut, getting out on the far turn, and the Hill Prince decisively demonstrated one thing: Equitize needs cover. Uncovered and two wide pressing the pace, Equitize became much too keen and cost himself any chance at contention. The Tampa start in February was the colt’s most professional yet, and with ample pace signed on, Equitize should get the right trip – if he is the right horse. King T. Leatherbury The 5-year-old gelding Witty is a good horse, better than his recent string of Beyer Speed Figures, and a strong main-track record notwithstanding, a better horse on turf than dirt. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. He endured a bad trip in the Laurel Dash last July and ran extremely well in the Wolf Hill at Monmouth, where he had to duck inside for his final thrust. The kind of race he ran there, held up near the back behind a swift pace, showcases Witty at his peak, and jockey Jevian Toledo appears to bring out the best in this horse. There’s plenty of speed signed on in the King Leatherbury, and Witty might be coming home so strong that it’s not even funny. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.