For the final Jockey7 Wager of the five-day Kentucky Downs meet, I’ll go back once again to my key jockeys from Sunday (and who narrowly missed): Julien Leparoux (9) and Jose Ortiz (12).
Going solely on my 1-2-3 picks in our DRF selectors’ box for races 4 through 10, I’ve got Ortiz on top in three races, with Mambo At the Gym in race 5, Royal Holiday in race 6, and Kitten’s Roar in race 9.
DARK VADER
Trainer: Peter Eurton
Last race: Sept. 7, 8th
Finish: 2nd by head
Beyer: 61
A first-time starter racing a mile around two turns, this juvenile colt ran super. Four wide on the first turn and into the stretch, steady finish. This was a promising debut.
MR VARGAS
Trainer: Brian Koriner
Last race: Sept. 8, 3rd
Finish: 1st by 4
Beyer: 94
Each week, TimeformUS Chief Figure Maker Craig Milkowski takes a look back at the weekend’s graded stakes and releases the TimeformUS Speed Figures for these races.
Kentucky Downs
Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup
Fin 120
Top 3: Oscar Nominated 120, Postulation 120, Muqtaser 119
Note: Pace figures not available for Kentucky Downs, reported fractional times are hand timed and unreliable; winner broke eight race losing streak, last win came over same track in 2016 Dueling Grounds Derby
PEPPERED
Trainer: Reade Baker
Last race: Sept. 9, 9th
Finish: 1st by 7
Beyer: 81
He closed stoutly from mid-pack to graduate second time out on the stretchout from five-eighths to a mile and 70 yards. The son of Tapizar was arguably the most impressive 2-year-old maiden winner of the meet.
The mutuel field, the No. 14 or “all others” option, was the winner as a lukewarm 5-2 favorite in the novel Jockey7 Wager yesterday, but at least a couple of individuals have a very strong lineup of Sunday mounts, and I’ll be leaning on both of them to earn the most points today.
Going solely on my 1-2-3 picks in our DRF selectors’ box for races 4 through 10, I’ve got Jose Ortiz (12) on top in three races, with Causeur in race 4, Special Ops in race 7, and One Last Strike in race 10.
Belmont | Race 2 | Post Time 2:01 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
It’s a huge day of sports in New York, with the first Sunday of the NFL season and my man Rafa Nadal going for his first U.S. Open title. But those events will be relegated to TV No. 2 in the Brooklyn Bunker, as I plan on playing Belmont today.
I’ll try to get on the right foot in the early pick five.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Two days into the 36-day Belmont Park fall meet and no one has able to hit the pick six yet.
Thus, there will be a carryover of $104,773 heading into Sunday's 10-race card.
:: Get firsthand workout observations for Sunday's carryover at Belmont Park
The pick six will start in race 5, (3:36 p.m. eastern) and include four turf races including the $100,000 Allied Forces for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.