Handicapping

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/19/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  5       Race overview  A very watered down 40k N2L for 3up at 6 ½ Fs.       Pace  It doesn’t look overly heated, as there aren’t too many who want to be close early, so a tactical gear seems preferred.       Trends  Speed and the inside seemed a slight bit better during the first several days of the meet, though nothing out of the ordinary either.      Best Play  #7 TOP GUN ROCKET (9-5): Stiff class dropper also goes turf-to-dirt and…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/18/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  7       Race overview  A modest—even for this level—restricted MSW for 3yofs at 6Fs.       Pace  It doesn’t look overly heated early, as there’s no pure sprint speed on paper, so having the ability to lay close early seems a plus.      Trends  Speed and the inside seemed a slight bit better during the first several days of the meet, though nothing out of the ordinary either.      Best Play  #11 TRUE PASSION (9-2): OP invader chased and tired in an…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/17/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  5       Race overview   A deep and competitive N1X for 3up at 5 ½ Fs on the turf.       Pace  It’s a turf sprint, so things should be honest up front, though on paper there aren’t a ton of true burners in here, so a stalking gear will likely come in handy.      Trends  They just don’t run enough turf races to have any kind of trends you can lean on, but as a general rule of thumb, this is a much…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/16/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  6       Race overview  A very eak N1X for 4up at 6Fs on the main track.       Pace  There’s not much pure sprint speed on paper, which means debut wire-to-wire winner #5 DARIOUSH (7-2) should sit a good trip, either or, or just off the early lead.      Trends  Speed and the inside seemed a slight bit better than anything else during a whirlwind eight straight days of racing, though it was hardly on the unfair or bias side of things either. …

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/11/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  10       Race overview  A very meek 30k MCL for 3up at 1 1/8 miles.       Pace  There’s not much here on paper, and this is a mighty long trip for most of these, so expect things to be slow early and turn into a sprint off the far turn.      Trends  N/A      Best Play  #1 ABUNDANCE (5-1): Pletcher charge takes the MSW drop, and while his lone dirt run was awful, it came against eons better, he now has…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/13/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  6       Race overview  A seemingly modest MSW for 3yps a 1 1/16 miles on the turf.       Pace  There’s not much on paper, which suggests things will be slow early and turn into a sprint off the far turn.      Trends  N/A      Best Play  #10 EXECUTIVE (3-1) (turf only): Mott runner looked like a new horse in his comeback and first start in 2025, when he added Lasix and was a make-up 3rd, and now he should be tighter,…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/12/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  10       Race overview  A deep and competitive renewal of the G1 Jenny Wily for 4upfm at   1 1/16 miles on the turf.       Pace  There’s none here, aside from the newly turned 4yof #7 Kehoe Beach (7-2), who hasn’t been out since November, which will leave #5 BE YOUR BEST (6-1) in a great spot sitting 2nd early.      Trends  N/A      Best Play  #5 BE YOUR BEST (6-1): G2 Pegasus F&M Turf winner will sit a similar trip, in…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/10/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  8       Race overview  A deep and competitive N2X for fm4up at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf.       Pace  There’s not much here, especially for a turf sprint, so expect a tight pack that will turn into a sprint off the far turn.      Trends  N/A      Best Play  #1 ULTIMATE READY (4-1) (turf only): Undefeated filly looked like a future star winning her comeback off the long layoff in her first start on turf and for Mott, as she…

    “PLAY of the DAY” by Brian Nadeau                        Date  4/8/25      Featured track  Keeneland       Race number  10       Race overview  A relatively modest and compact renewal of the G1 Blue Grass for 3yos at 1 1/8 miles.       Pace  It looks like it could be honest, if not on the hot side, as there are more than a few who want to be involved, though with the Oritz brothers riding a pair of them (#1 River Thames and #4 Owen Almighty), it’s anyone’s guess as to how it actually unfolds early, though we do know #5 East Avenue will…