Live @ Keeneland – Opening Day
October 6th, 2011By Jude T. Feld
Keeneland meetings always provide unique handicapping puzzles. With horses entered from around the globe, horseplayers need to be saavy about the relative abilities of each entrant. This also holds true for the juvenile races, as maiden races at some venues are much tougher than others.
There are two tremendous handicapping tools to help your quest for winners found on Keeneland’s own website – www.keeneland.com. The “Trackman’s Comments,” posted by top clocker Tom Bridges and Jeremy Plonk’s daily analysis, “Track Trends” posted in the handicapping section are required reading before every trip to the track.
With the Breeders’ Cup being held at Churchill Downs just an hour up the road from Keeneland, fans will have a chance to watch and wager on many Breeders’ Cup hopefuls during Fallstars Weekend. Keep a watchful eye, as I am sure most of you will be wagering on “racing’s biggest days.”
Here’s who I am considering on Opening Day:
2nd Race) It is not often that I would contemplate wagering on a Fairmont Park shipper at Keeneland but you’ve got to take what the card gives you. KOKA KOLA OCEAN has had a productive summer, winning his last three races in-a-row while improving his speed figures in each event. The four-year-old gelding drew the cozy outside post and has a pressing style that should be perfect for this race.
3rd Race) MUTUALLY BENEFIT finds a nice spot for a victory with solid speed figures and a drop back in distance. Jockey Julien Leparoux won’t hurt matters either. It is a plus factor that Glen Hill Farm president Craig Bernick tweeted that he thought the filly would run well.
4th Race) With three wins in three starts at Keeneland, NINA FEVER looks like the filly to beat here. She runs well fresh and sharp trainer Wesley Ward drops her into a spot where she can keep her Lexington winning streak intact.
9th Race) In my opinion, TU ENDIE WEI is the best two-year-old filly in North America. After demolishing a maiden allowance field in her racing debut, she came back to win the Ontario Debutante over next-out stakes winner Northern Passion. The daughter of Johar should handle the two turns and continue her winning streak on the road to the Breeders’ Cup.
