The Lead:
Closing day at Keeneland for the 17-day Fall Meet features the Bryan Station on turf and the Grade $350,000 Fayette on dirt. A capacity field of 12 has entered the Fayette, plus two also-eligibles, accepting the 1-1/8 miles challenge. The Fayette will be Race 9 on the card and part of the $2,000 Hit & Split late pick four promo when you bet with Xpressbet and 1/ST BET.

​Field Depth:
LAW PROFESSOR is a Grade 2 winner and Grade 1-placed, but is expected to scratch and run in New York. Grade 3 winners here include BEST ACTOR, HAPPY AMERICAN, IL MIRACOLO and GIANT GAME, the latter trio also are Grade 1-placed. HAPPY AMERICAN, LAW PROFESSOR and Chilean Group 1 winner / US Grade 2-placed O'CONNOR have consistently kept the strongest running lines.

Pace:
Rail-drawn FILM STAR has early wheels if he shows up, as do GIANT GAME, SPEED BIAS and wide-drawn BEST ACTOR. TWILIGHT BLUE and a few others also want to be in the early hunt. This looks like a very fast pace for 9 furlongs on dirt, especially when the inside & outside want to insure position into the clubhouse turn.

Our Eyes:
Here are my horse-by-horse notes.

1-FILM STAR: Expected scratch. Eight straight exacta finishes since being claimed off Brad Cox, Linda Rice has pulled all the right strings through this 4-year-old's allowance conditions. Last try in Grade 2 Woodward makes him a player if he winds up here.

2-HAPPY AMERICAN: Deep closer got fast paces in last two at Ellis and Churchill and didn't do enough with them for minor checks. It will be quick again, so perhaps the bottom of the ticket looks best.

3-KING FURY: Familiar dancer at Keeneland, he won the 2021 Lexington, then ran third in that year's Fayette before returning here in 2022 to finish fourth in this race. Pace should help the Curlin colt, but notable is an 0-7 mark at this distance, perhaps due to his sprint dam Taris, who won the 7F Raven Run here in 2014.

4-GIANT GAME: Impressive 2YO winner at Keeneland in 2021 hasn't been back since, but the Grade 3 Cornhusker winner has done some damage on the front end in 2023. Virtually all of his success has been wire-to-wire, a trip tough to see out vs. this cast.

5-TWILIGHT BLUE: Returned from 13 months on the sidelines to run second in allowance company at Churchill, splitting the finish of Fayette return rivals Dash Attack and King Fury. Won a slow-paced 1-3/16 miles Fort Larned Stakes in 2022, but will need a softer pace to last the 9F trip.

6-SPEED BIAS: Speedster came up a nose shy of wiring the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May, but hasn't built off that and was beaten favorite in back-to-back allowance bids at Saratoga and Churchill. Broke his maiden in his lone local appearance last Fall Meet.

7-IL MIRACOLO (pictured above): Field's only 3-year-old, he gets a 3-pound weight break (121 vs. 118) while in ascending form. Smartly spotted away from Gulfstream Park since biting off too much of the Big Apple in the Belmont Stakes, he's fared well in his last three and doing things right. Has responded well to top Keeneland pilot Luis Saez in the saddle in the past.

8-LAW PROFESSOR: Running lines suggest he's better on a track with some moisture or turf as opposed to fast dirt. Inconsistent sort fits on his best day, a toss on his B-game.

9-O'CONNOR: Chilean export won his US unveiling, but has lost 6 in a row over the past year. Falling farther back early in race that his previous style, see if top Keeneland pilot Tyler Gaffalione can shake him up earlier.

10-TRADEMARK: Won a local allowance over the Fayette distance during the '22 Fall Meet, but nearly all of his success comes when able to mix it up early in the race. Could get crowded up there with a few more brilliant than him.

11-DASH ATTACK: Dull efforts in 3 Keeneland starts are of concern for a colt whose pedigree also suggests far more miler than 9 furlongs. Can't fault his current form, however, coming off two of his best career races.

12-BEST ACTOR: Consistent 4-year-old is fastest from the gate of this group and it will be up to Flavien Prat to ration out just how much of that speed it will take to get position into the clubhouse turn. Gave way in the 2022 Oklahoma Derby as the chalk in his only prior try at this trip, so we'll see if a lack of a true 2-turn race in 2023 will come back to haunt him late.

13-GASOLINE (AE): Curlin colt likely part of the pace if he draws in; at least showed last time he doesn't need the lead to win.

14-TIME FOR TROUBLE (AE): Part-time turfer and Claiming Crown victor has a win over the Keeneland 9F trip against lesser.

Most Certain Exotics Contender:
IL MIRACOLO is in peak career form and well-spotted this year.

Best Longshot Exotics Contender:
HAPPY AMERICAN is 15-1 on the morning line and gets a hot pace set-up to come along for a minor share.

Sending it in ($100 bankroll):
$100 win IL MIRACOLO.