By Jeremy Plonk
Each day during the 17-day Keeneland Fall Meet, I’ll spotlight the double-digit morning line prices that you’ll want to consider for your exotics plays. These are based on my top-3 choices in each race and will only appear if they’re in my mix and of significant odds.Suddenly prices have returned to the Keeneland scene after a drought this Fall Meet. Between the Thursday finale and Friday’s card, 4 of the last 11 winners were 13-1 or more. Let’s see if the longshots can muster a say in the Saturday outcomes.Race 1:#11 Keepinitreal (10-1 ML) – Closers typically can’t factor at speed-friendly Prairie Meadows, so he may appreciate the change of venue, pace set-up and fact that sire City of Light is a fantastic influence on the Kee dirt.Race 2:#10 Valentine Eve (12-1 ML) – Fresh off the claim when fading on a sloppy track at Ellis. Back to a fast track puts her closer to her summer form and she should fit at this level.Race 3:#4 Doctor Jeff (12-1 ML) – Hot pace sets up for this late-runner who got eligible for the starter allowance condition with a win last time out. One of my key plays on the entire card as a top pick.Race 5:#7 Market Street (20-1 ML) – Mired with bad luck and trips in recent starts, a clean go puts longshot in the mix for an exotics finish. Competitive speed figures with most of these if that’s your bag.Race 6:#10 Accelerator (12-1 ML) – First-time starter has trained sharply on the clock at Turfway and those types that have run here this meet have had some success. Love Decimation on top in this race but this rookie could fill out the exotics and I’d be happy to see it.Race 7:#9 Street Beast (20-1 ML) – Perryville Stakes favorites Deep Flame and Obliteration will be very tough to deny, so thinking more bottom of the tris and supers for price horses. This speedy router has flashed talent and should appreciate the distance if he handles dirt. Sire Street Sense is a darned good one for Kee dirt success.Race 9:#7 A Fine Chardonnay (12-1 ML) – 2-time local sprint stakes winner (Myrtlewood and Beaumont) in the past 2 meets and looks for a hat trick in the Raven Run. Bullet work for this, so maybe Ian Wilkes has her rounding back into that spring form.Race 10:#4 Petronella (10-1 ML) – Beautiful post draw for a Kee turf sprint and sired by local star grass influence Not This Time. Toss in leading meet trainer Brendan Walsh and hot-riding Flavien Prat, who won 5 races here on Wednesday when last at Keeneland, and there’s a lot to like at the price.
By Xpressbet
British Champions Day is Saturday at Ascot and the top performers across multiple European divisions will clash on the 7-race card. Post time for the first race will be 7:55 am ET with the featured Champion Stakes set to go for 11:00 am ET. 1/ST BET and Xpressbet will offer full-card wagering on all the action, which most years will have Breeders' Cup implications 2 weeks ahead at Keeneland.Among the star performers entered on the card include Ombudsman and Calandagan (pictured) in the Champions Stakes, as well as Minnie Hauk and Kalpana in the Fillies & Mares division.To help you play the races Saturday at Ascot, enjoy the free GBI Timeform Wager Guide for the full-card here.
By Xpressbet
EXTRA INCENTIVESBC Bankroll Builder / Bet $25, Get $5 | Remington Park | Oklahoma Classics Cup (Race 9)Bet $100, Get $10 | Randwick (Australia) | today’s races10X 1/ST Rewards Points | Sunset 6 (Gulfstream/Santa Anita)SCHEDULE NOTESThe Meadowlands (Thoroughbred) | cancelled tonight’s closing-night card due to turf conditionsSPECIAL WAGERSCoast-to-Coast Pick 5 | Gulfstream Races 8-9, Santa Anita Races 3-4-5Sunset Pick 6 | Gulfstream Races 7-8-9, Santa Anita Races 7-8-9TOURNAMENT TIME$100 Keeneland Feeder | details$100 Santa Anita Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSPick 6 | $113,350 | Belmont Park | begins Race 4 | 2:49 pm ETPick 6 | $26,909 | Keeneland | begins Race 5 | 3:08 pm ETSunset 6 | $13,306 | Gulfstream/Santa Anita | begins GP Race 7 | 3:30 pm ETPick 6 | $54,223 | Santa Anita | begins Race 4 | 5:30 pm ETSuper Hi 5 | $15,221 | Santa Anita | Race 9 | 8:00 pm ETKEY RACESRemington Park | Race 3 | 8:28 pm ET | first of 8 OK Classics stakesRemington Park | Race 9 | 11:25 pm ET | OK Classics CupLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXKeeneland | Race 8 | 4:44 pm ETBelmont | Race 9 | 5:38 pm ETSanta Anita | Race 8 | 7:30 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHRonney Brown | Charles Town | all 5 entrants 4-1 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Woodbine | jockey Pietro Moran | 4 wins, 1 second, 1 third from 8 mountsYesterday | Keeneland, Remington | trainer Steve Asmussen | 5 wins combined (3 last 2 days at Kee)PUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMJeremy Plonk: Keeneland Daily Longshots to WatchFrank Carulli: Santa Anita Pick 6 Carryover AnalysisJeremy Plonk: Remington Park OK Classics Full-Card PicksFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer: best bets today in the Xpressbet member’s section
By Jeremy Plonk
Each day during the 17-day Keeneland Fall Meet, I’ll spotlight the double-digit morning line prices that you’ll want to consider for your exotics plays. These are based on my top-3 choices in each race and will only appear if they’re in my mix and of significant odds.A 13-1 winner in Thursday’s finale was the first double-digit odds winner in 4 days and hopefully broke the seal for a return to some of the prices that we expect to see.Race 2:#2 Summer of George (12-1 ML) – Great draw after an even sprint debut and those kind often can stretch out. Pedigree screams farther than the Saratoga unveiling.Race 4:#3 Machado (12-1 ML) – Deep closer may need some pace help, but blinkers on today could help keep him closer to the fray as well as a move to speed jockey Luis Saez. Asmussen barn has been dialed in this week.Race 5:#1 No Objection (10-1 ML) – Potential rail speed takes away all the variables and could be in the hunt a long way. First-time gelding for Cherie DeVaux.Race 9:#4 Bourbon’s Fault (10-1 ML) – Chris Hartman barn has been going well with limited runners at the meet and this one absolutely fits at this $25,000 claiming level.
By Al CImaglia
Scioto Downs has a deep 13-race card featuring 6 Breeders Crown Eliminations for 2-year-olds. The Spot Plays will be in Race 2, Race 11, and Race 13. Comments and selections below are based on a fast track.Race 2 (6:34 PM EDT)6-Volstarita (6-1)-Will look for some value and fade the rail horse at 8/5 with Dexter Dunn who doesn't have big gate speed. Brett Miller steers for the Heather France barn and that combo posts 23% winners. Shipped in off a sick scratch and put in a no-move mile 2 back. On 10-12 rallied from the backfield to finish 2nd from the 9-hole. Comes back quickly, should offer a nice price, and can be a main player. Will look for Brett Miller to be aggressive in this spot.6-1-3Race 11 (10:28 PM EDT)3-Night Surfer (5/2)-This is a sharp filly out of the Virgil Morgan Jr barn and Dexter Dunn will be between the pipes. Has won 4 of 5 at ScD with the only loss coming 2 back in the Sires Stakes Final. Got on the engine that night leaving from the 9-hole and sizzled to the half in 53.4. But the trip took its toll and faded to finish 3rd. That was the only loss in 6 starts this year and could be primed for a big try. Put in a tune-up at Lex on 10-8 with Dunn in the bike winning in 150 flat. Will need a top try and if so, its best could beat this group on a smaller oval.3-2-6Race 13 (11:20 PM EDT)3-Ima Beach Girl (9/2)-The Sam Schillaci trainee banked a nice check in last winning the Ohio Sires Stakes Final that had an $80,000 purse. Now takes on some older foes but best to not overlook. This is a competitive sort that looks like it will close out this season with a string of top efforts. Using at the morning line price and is versatile so Luke Hanners has options when the wings fold. Could take a picture in a contentious affair with a top-notch steer.3-5-6Check me out on X!
By Frank Carulli
Less than one month into the Santa Anita Fall Meet and there’s already a Pick 6 carryover pool of $54,223 heading into the card this Friday, Oct. 16. The $2 wager won’t be easy to hit but it could be a lucrative payout for anyone who picks the winners of races 4 through 9.Santa Anita, Race 4 (5:30 p.m. EST) KOOL MARIAH was ‘in range’ of fleet-footed favorite Christel Clean (11/3-4-1, $204k) until the eighth pole but settled for second best in the same spot at 37-1 odds two starts back. MISS PRACTICAL, plagued by slow starts, flashed a :47-2/5 bullet workout September 5 to prep for her first main-track route. She ran her best races at Santa Anita at the turn of the new year, finishing in the money in three consecutive 6F sprints.Santa Anita Race 5 (6:00 p.m. EST) GEOMETRY tailed off after a maiden-breaking win at this distance on the Santa Anita lawn in March. She got eligible for this race when claimed for $16,000 last out and is a wake-up candidate after facing the likes of Grade 3-placed Lord Bullingdon (4-17, $355k) and recent three-peat winner El Rey Rey ($343k on turf). DALRAGO makes the cross-country journey back into the barn of trainer Bob Hess Jr. after a photo-finish setback in a 1-1/8-mile grass race at Colonial Downs. She ‘bid late’ but couldn’t reach drifting leader McCullough, who came back with two more wins and an average 84 Beyer.Santa Anita Race 6 (6:30 p.m. EST) FINE IRISH MORNING, off poorly and wide through the turn, faded badly in a fast-paced MSW sprint two back. But he set the pace and factored for this far last out on the class drop to this level. That improved one-mile run at Los Alamitos should set him up well in this spot off a :59-4/5 bullet workout at Santa Anita. MYSTIC MOSES showed good speed in the MSW ranks and is the 8-to-5 morning-line favorite on the class plunge. He changes equipment and changes riders for a 22-percent barn with maiden claimers.Santa Anita Race 7 (7:00 p.m. EST) ROSELEE MAY ranged up 3-wide on the final turn of a longer turf marathon than today but flattened out in the stretch. She rallied in tandem with Vronti, who exploded in the stretch to win going away and validated that effort with a runner-up finish in the Grade 2 Rodeo Drive Stakes next out. ROSELEE MAY, a six-figure turf earner, returns to the $50,000 level, where she is 3-for-3 going a route of ground. Late-running WINK AND A GRIN won two turf routes at Santa Anita as a 3-year-old last year. She appears rounding to a good race after rallying into a slow pace and finishing third at 1-1/16 miles last out.Santa Anita, Race 8 (7:30 p.m. EST) JADE’S MOST WANTED was no factor in a $50,000 maiden claimer to start her career, but she is today’s solo play on the class drop. She shows three good gate works since her debut, presumably with blinkers that she will wear today. Her recent :47-1/5 bullet was a full second or more faster than 6 of 7 others who worked 4F from the gate last Friday. Kimura, who rode contender HARKETTE in her debut, switches mounts in here.Santa Anita, Race 9 (8:00 p.m. EST) Going 3-deep in a wide-open finale, a one-mile Maiden Special Weight test on the grass. ROYAL RUMOR owns the top turf speed figure in the field and starts fresh off a string of solid workouts. CHAOTIC NEUTRAL showed marked improvement on the stretch-out in distance in his second turf start, finishing a half-length behind next-out winner Heroic Dose (73 Beyer). ZAKIEL finished second on the dirt at 6F and one mile in his last two starts, but he finished ahead of next-out winners in both. He changes surfaces off a fastest-of-35 move on the main track. His dam, Zendreya, was 0-4 on the lawn but one of her siblings, King of Dragons, was a $133k turf earner, mostly at Santa Anita.Suggested Pick 6SA 4th race: 3, 6SA 5th race: 1, 6SA 6th Race: 2, 5SA 7th race: 3, 4SA 8th Race: 11SA 9th Race: 2, 4, 9Cost for a $2 Ticket: $96
By Jeremy Plonk
Much like last week’s West Virginia Breeders Classics at Charles Town, I can proudly say I’ve also been a part of this Friday’s Oklahoma Classics at Remington Park since the very beginning. The 34th renewal of the state-bred championship day fills out a 10-race lineup that gets underway at 7:30 pm ET. The divisional matchups include some proven veterans looking to continue their dominance and a cast of upstarts looking for lucrative paydays.Horseplayers at Xpressbet and 1/ST BET take advantage of the Breeders' Cup Bankroll Builder promotion in Friday night's Oklahoma Classics Cup (Race 9). Bet $25, Get $5 deposited into your account on Breeders' Cup Friday to play the big day.Remington Park: Race 1 | Oklahoma Classics | Picks 3-8-10#3 Caleb’s Finest (6-1 morning line) gets back to preferred dirt surface and fits strongly at this starter allowance level after battling tougher; same goes for #8 Caltae Winemixer (12-1) as another price shot.Remington Park: Race 2 | Oklahoma Classics Stater Fillies | Picks 3-6-12Dirt sprinter #3 Big Muckity (8-1) was overextended going long on turf last time but fits the allowance conditions beautifully at a nice price. Late-running Red Mountain (5-2 favorite) breathes fire on everyone in the final yards.Remington Park: Race 3 | Oklahoma Classics Lassie | Picks 1-5-9Open-company effort in the Scissortail Stakes was promising to a point for #1 Angelforblueskies (3-1), who will appreciate return to state-breds and slightly shorter journey as the one to beat. Optimize (8-1) flattered top pick’s form when returning Sept. 26 with a vastly improved winning effort.Remington Park: Race 4 | Oklahoma Classics Juvenile | Picks 8-6-5Like the outside draw sprinting for #8 Mister Okie (5-1), who rolled in his debut and has worked sharp since. Always like to see how a first-timer comes back on the workout tab and these are positive vibes. Be My Boss (2-1) couldn’t have been more impressive late in his debut totally spread-eagling a field of 10 nearly 17 lengths just first to fourth. Showdown between the duo.Remington Park: Race 5 | Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf | Picks 7-5-9Defending champ Miss Code West switches divisions and allows last year’s 2-3 finishers a chance to shine. #7 Maybe Dolcie (15-1) was third here a year ago and must bounce back off disappointing efforts – but the Kari Craddock barn often peaks in this series and expect she’ll be ready after a troubled trip. #5 Talkin Cadee (5-2) remains in strong form and the one to beat, but will be much shorter price. Respect veteran Doudoudouwannadance (9-2), who won this race in 2024, but it’s a terrible post while trying to snap a long losing skid.Remington Park: Race 6 | Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint | Picks 8-7-5Yes, #5 So Jordan (4-1) outgamed #8 Letta’s Legacy (6-5) in the local prep Sept. 26 at 5-1/2 furlongs, but fully expect the defending Distaff Sprint winner Letta’s Legacy to be on her best Friday. Veteran trainer CR Trout’s entire breeding program is focused on the Oklahoma Classics and his star filly (14-15 in the exacta locally on dirt) sharpened with a fast half-mile here Oct. 9 for the primary goal. Note that So Jordan bounced off a big return victory last year and regressed to fourth on Classics night.Remington Park: Race 7 | Oklahoma Classics Distaff | Picks 6-1-5The 3-time reigning Remington Park Horse of the #6 Miss Code West (2-5) stands out as she meets just 5 challengers. She won this race 2 years ago, then won the Distaff Turf a season ago, and comes in off victories in her last 8 stakes bids – dating back to a second in the open company Remington Park Oaks in 2024. What a $12K purchase now with earnings over $720K while 15-for-21 lifetime.Remington Park: Race 9 | Oklahoma Classics Sprint | Picks 10-7-3#10 Breakable Code (7-2) won this race last year and was second in 2024 with a fabulous mark against state-breds, winning 6 and finishing twice in his last 8 matchups. He’s positively the one to beat, while trainer Joe Offolter has an interesting chance at the exacta here with #7 Mi Saturday (20-1). This price player makes a turf-to-dirt and second-off-the-layoff form cycle move in the same swoop and that could produce a big effort for the Will Rogers Downs stakes winner with good local RP dirt form.Remington Park: Race 9 | Oklahoma Classics Cup | Picks 2-6-1#6 Mister Omaha (1-2) couldn’t have been an easier winner last year at age 3 when the Oklahoma Derby third-place finisher cruised by nearly 10 lengths when back in against state-breds. He’s won both dirt races this year at Lone Star, but hasn’t started since June. Would have preferred to have seen a prep if having to accept odds-on price, so I’ll fish in a race with plenty of early pace to go with him. #2 Winters Lion (15-1) is the lone closer in the group and last year’s distant runner-up in this race comes in with soiled form on turf, particularly behind a terribly slow pace last time. Might be a stretch, but price is right. #1 Nucleus (4-1) is the new X-factor in the division as a 3-year-old and has won twice at the meet on multiple surfaces around 1 turn and 2 for Steve Asmussen. Consider all 3 in multi-race bets.Remington Park: Race 10 | Oklahoma Classics Turf | Picks 3-4-6Past Turf victors #6 Eakly and #4 Country Caper rematch in the deepest division of the Classics program. The familiar cast has matched up in races like the Red Earth and a local allowance prep Sept. 26 so it’s a matter of who’s Mr. Right Now. #3 Excaping the Blues rallied to win the Red Earth and then last time vs. these found himself inherting a slow lead and was lost late. Hoping Fernando Jara takes him back and makes an inside run that’s so effective on this turf course.
By Xpressbet
EXTRA INCENTIVESBet $100, Get $10 | Laurel Park | today’s racesTOURNAMENT TIME$100 Keeneland Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSPick 6 | $22,988 | Belmont | begins Race 3 | 2:16 pm ETLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXKeeneland | Race 2 | 1:32 pm ETWoodbine | Race 4 | 4:52 pm ETDelta Downs | Race 5 | 7:32 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHJamie Ness | Laurel, Delaware Park | 6 of 8 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Keeneland | jockey Flavien Prat | 5 wins from 5 mounts (rides Belmont today)Yesterday | Belmont | jockey Manny Franco | 4 wins, 2 seconds from 7 mountsPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Laurel Bet $100, Get $10 Promo Spot PlaysJeremy Plonk: Keeneland Daily Longshots to WatchFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer: best bets today in the Xpressbet member’s section