The calendar has turned to December and the racing on the Kentucky circuit has shifted north to Florence. This can mean only one thing. It is time for the Holiday Meeting at Turfway Park. Full field sizes, Pick 3s that can pay what Pick 4s do at many tracks, and a challenging analytical puzzle each night headline the first of two meets this fall/winter in Northern Kentucky. Here are a few horses I like a bit on Opening Night at Turfway Park!


Race 4:

My first play of the meet comes in this open $8k claimer at 1 1/16-miles where the pace should be honest at the very least. I am hopeful that sets things up for the late run of longshot #5 Juanita’s Express. The son of
Fed Biz has been given a couple of months to freshen up by trainer Joe Deegan after a pair of races on the turf this summer at Belterra Park. The 7YO still has all his parts, but has absolutely no early speed, so he will need a setup, but he has run some of his best races over the all-weather at Turfway Park and Deegan clearly points to this meet. In fact, he has won at a 17% clip over a 127-race sample size for a strong $2.30 ROI.
These are the types of horses I want to take a swing with early on in the meet as more horses get recent races over the configuration.

Play: #5 Juanita’s Express (12-1 ML)


Race 7:

Trainer Eoin Harty is coming off a good year himself at Turfway Park. The veteran conditioner won with 8 of 37 starters for a $1.99 ROI and sends out second-time starter #3 Queenstown in this one-mile MSW event for 2YO fillies. The Street Sense filly exits a much tougher race at Churchill Downs on Halloween where she broke well, stalked early, and tired late. The Godolphin homebred meets a much softer bunch than she encountered in Louisville and should relish the added ground. Hopefully, she breaks well again under jockey Vincent Cheminaud, finds a favorable forward position along the inside, and has too much class for this group.

Play: #3 Queenstown (5-1 ML)


Race 8:

The Opening Night feature is a first-level allowance event for fillies and mares at 6.5-furlongs and is led by a pair of Wesley Ward trainees, including 5-2-ML favorite #3 Cut to the Chase. The Complexity filly ran fast in her maiden breaking performance over the dirt at Keeneland in mid-October, but I am not sure how much that helps her here. She should make the lead, but the extra half-furlong and the surface switch just make her a tough horse for me to back at her likely off odds. I prefer #8 Saphira. The Resolute Racing filly did not beat much on debut at Horseshoe Indianapolis, but did it well. I can forgive her first start versus winners going 5-furlongs on the grass at Churchill Downs and think she probably got a lot out of the off the board finish. The surface switch is a question mark for this daughter of American Pharoah as well, but she should be a much bigger price than Cut to the Chase and should relish the added ground. Julien Leparoux takes the call for the Riley Mott trainee
.
Play: #8 Saphira (8-1 ML)