Just two Saturdays left before Championship Saturday at the Breeders’ Cup, which of course takes place at beautiful Keeneland Race Course. Before that though, Keeneland has a pair of Saturday afternoon cards as part of the second half of the 2026 Fall Meet. The first of them of course is later today when a ten-race slate of thoroughbred action kicks off at 1PM eastern. The day is headlined by a pair of graded stakes for 3YOs sprinting over the main track.

Race 9: Raven Run (G2)
The biggest race on the day is this $400k sprint for 3YO fillies where #9 Mashallah is the one to beat. The $1.25M OBS March ’25 purchase has just one loss on her resume and it came in her second start when battling through fast fractions early at eight-furlongs at Churchill Downs. Her debut over this track was extremely impressive and her speed should have her in a good spot early. The only concern I have with this filly is the way she has been managed thus far. For a seven-figure purchase with a near perfect resume, they certainly have avoided the best in their crop. This was most noticeable when they bypassed the Test (G1) for a listed stake at Colonial Downs in August.

Perhaps, this take will look foolish if she moves forward off of her win in the Prioress (G3), but I am expecting a big effort either way from #11 Movie Night. The Will Walden trainee was part of a blanket three-horse finish in the Dogwood (G3) after going toe-to-toe with Explora throughout the seven-furlong journey. She will need a better effort than either of her last two to beat this bunch, but I think the move to Flavien Prat in her third start of the form cycle may lead to just that. With the outside draw, I expect Prat to try to relax the Winstar Farm filly a bit more than jockey Axel Concepcion did in the early stages of the Dogwood. If she can avoid getting caught in an early tussle, she should have more energy for the final furlong. Her lone run over this course is tough to get a read on since it was her debut over the slop in April, but I am hopeful she is ready to fire big in her second local try.

Play: #11 Movie Night (9-2 ML)
Picks: 11-7-8


Race 10:
The card concludes with this first-level allowance event at 5.5-furlongs over the grass where the pace should be honest. This should bode well for #1 Mechaya. The Liam’s Map filly returns to the races after a troubled trip third in a similar spot at Churchill Downs on September 27. In that race in Louisville, Francisco Arrieta found traffic issues along the inside, which cost this gal several lengths. She was never beating the winner that day, but would have made things closer with a cleaner voyage. With a better trip, I like her chances to run this group down to end the day.

Play: #1 Mechaya (6-1 ML)
Picks: 1-3-4