Yes This Time loving Kentucky lifestyle

LEXINGTON, Ky. – “Good as any” is a catch-all comment to summarize the chances of a random horse in a wide-open race. It could be fairly applied Saturday to more than half the 13 3-year-olds entered in the $150,000 Bryan Station Stakes, a remarkably competitive turf mile on the closing-day card at Keeneland.

Trainer Kelly Breen is hoping Yes This Time will prove as good as any – if not better than all – as one of the lukewarm favorites in the Bryan Station. Yes This Time, who earlier this year compiled a five-race win streak, was second in his last start, the Sept. 5 Dueling Grounds Derby at Kentucky Downs, before returning to Breen’s primary base in New Jersey for about five weeks. Leading jockey Tyler Gaffalione has the call.

“He’s been back here in Kentucky for a couple of weeks now and just loves it,” said Breen. “Tyler worked him Sunday and likes our chances.”

A representative effort likely would get Yes This Time close – but still, there are another half-dozen or so of his rivals similarly capable as most have earned Beyer Speed Figures in the high 80s vicinity.

Point Me By is a Grade 1 winner, having accounted for the Bruce D. (formerly the Secretariat) in August at Arlington Park for Eddie Kenneally. Scarlett Sky won the Grade 3 Transylvania here in the spring with a stirring late run for Shug McGaughey. Dyn O Mite finished first (albeit disqualified) in a rugged renewal of the Caesars last month at Indiana Grand.

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Also, Camp Hope earned an eye-catching 95 Beyer in an allowance romp earlier at this meet. Dreamers Disease has been a stalwart in the ranks of New York-bred turf stakes. And Like the King, a distant also-ran in the Kentucky Derby, has made a nice transition to turf racing.

The Bryan Station, the eighth of 10 races, honors the site of the Revolutionary War-era fort located just north of downtown Lexington. It’s the final leg in the $3-minimum Keeneland Turf Pick 3 (races 2-5-8), which debuted this meet to encouraging reviews. The bet will still be held Saturday even if any or all of the subject races are moved to the main track on what is supposed to be another rainy day.

Eight go in Bowman Mill

Todd Pletcher didn’t run quite as many horses at Keeneland this fall as he usually does, and he has won with with one of his seven starters entering the Thursday card, but the newly minted Hall of Famer still can wrap up his quiet meet by extending his record as the track’s all-time winningest stakes trainer.

Pletcher is represented by My Prankster in the $150,000 Bowman Mill Stakes (race 7), and if the Into Mischief colt runs back to his debut at Saratoga, the other seven 2-year-olds facing him will have a hard time keeping up. My Prankster won that Aug. 21 race by 10 lengths with a 92 Beyer before finishing fourth in his only subsequent try, the Grade 1 Champagne.

Backing up from a mile to six furlongs, My Prankster will have John Velazquez aboard from post 7 when he tries to land Pletcher his 60th career stakes win here. D. Wayne Lukas is second with 52.

Perhaps the chief upset threats are any of the top three exiting a key Oct. 1 allowance at Churchill Downs, those being Chattalot, Nakatomi, and Freelancer, respectively.

Hope in Him, a Florida-bred with intriguing form, and Roger McQueen, winner of the Ellis Park Juvenile, are outside considerations.

◗ Wesley Ward and Brad Cox began the final three-day stretch of the Keeneland fall meet tied with 10 wins (through Wednesday), and both had a nearly equal number of starters remaining. Both are represented Saturday in several races, including in the meet finale, a maiden-special for 2-year-old fillies at the Beard Course distance of seven furlongs and 184 feet (race 10).

Gaffalione, with 24 wins into Thursday, will be the leading jockey for the fourth time at a Keeneland meet.