Sometimes one track is enough. Nationwide horse-racing bettors have a potpourri of nationwide action on Saturday, accessible through TVG. The Lexington Stakes is the headliner as the final Kentucky Derby prep race this year.
Many tracks that offered six- and seven-figure purses in recent weeks have paused to regroup for now. They’re producing a different level of cards, which still have appeal but don’t offer the Triple Crown implications other weekends did.
Into the breach steps Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., the top racing establishment for the weekend.
We examine a loaded Keeneland card as part of our Saturday Fecta-cular, observe developments in other tracks and review the popular Bombs Away, Salute to Long Shots races that paid winnings as long as telephone numbers for some of our readers.
The gates are open, and we’re off.
Keeneland crushes it with Lexington in the spotlight
The track offers an intense, high-quality meet and packs a lot into a short time frame. Keeneland conducts a meet running April 8-29, with cards stacking up almost daily.
Saturday is no exception.
Keeneland offers bettors two excellent paths to gambling. The big-money races begin late afternoon; the rest of the card features smaller races with big fields. The $400,000 Lexington Stakes and the $500,000 Jenna Wiley Stakes are the headlining races of the day. The remaining races boast purses in the neighborhood of $100,000 and challenge the most sophisticated bettors.
Here is an overview of the monster card, which has well over $1.5 million in purses spread over an afternoon-early evening card (all times EDT):
Race 2 posts at 1:32 p.m. and features a $100,000 maiden turf race at one mile. With a field of 12 horses, there is a big chance for a payout.
A claiming event at $68,000 kicks off Race No. 3 at 2:04 p.m. A good-size field of nine makes the race a little more handicapable for this six-furlong sprint.
Then it’s back to the hard stuff.
Race 4 has a 2:36 p.m. post time with a field of 12 for a Maiden Special Weights race at $100,000. How can anyone be a prohibitive favorite in a field of horses seeking their first win? That’s a wagering opportunity.
Race 5 unfolds at 3:08 p.m. It is a turf race at 1 1/6 miles for $110,000 and has a field of 12.
We get a handicapping breather in race 6 at 3:40 p.m. There are only seven horses for this $110,000 race. It won’t pay as well as some others, but bettors will think they have a chance in this one. It’s also an excellent handicapping primer for one of the day’s later headline races, the Lexington Stakes, also run at a distance of 1 1/16 miles. This one could provide tips on the track bias and whether speed or closing horses are doing well at this distance.
Race 7 is Allowance Optional Claiming for $120,000 at 4:12 p.m. It has a field of 11 for a seven-furlong race.
Race 8 brings the $200,000 Giant’s Causeway, unfolding at 4:44 p.m. Unlike some of the earlier big fields, this one doesn’t have 12 horses — it has 14! The value will be everywhere. It’s a 5 1/2-furlong sprint. Racing luck could be the difference with a big field; a slow start will likely be costly.
And then the “mane” event — the $400,000 Lexington Stakes. It occurs at 5:16 p.m. with a field of 11 for the 1 1/16-mile showcase.
The number of late entrants who would like to win and crash the Kentucky Derby party on May 7 will keep this race interesting.
Although the large-point races are history, this is the last race awarding qualifying points to reach the Derby. It only awards 20 points to the winner, but that’s enough to entice connections of some horses sitting just outside the bubble. A few points could qualify their horse for Run for the Roses.
In Due Time, runner-up to Simplification in the Fountain of Youth, entered for this reason. Also in is Call Me Midnight, who beat likely Derby favorite Epicenter in the Lecomte Stakes in the winter. In addition, Tawny Port, who received 20 points for second place in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, will try to grab some qualifying points. So will Ethereal Road, second in the Rebel Stakes but a nonfactor in the recent Blue Grass Stakes.
Does the fun stop there? Nah, nah, nah.
Add the Jenny Wiley $500,000 race after that. It’s a field of six for a 1 1/6-mile turf clash at 5:48 p.m.
Rounding out the card is an 11-horse field for a $120,000 race covering seven furlongs at 6:20 p.m. What an afternoon and early evening.
Weekend horse racing around other tracks
Gulfstream Park in Florida has shifted to low-level purses in its spring meet, a significant departure from the rich levels of its championship meet. The focus shifts to big fields and difficult handicapping. The first race at 1:05 p.m. is an example. It has a field of 12 for a $16,000 maiden claiming on turf. Looks players, who gain a sense of a horse’s energy in the post-parade, fare well in this format.
Aqueduct features the $100,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes with a small field of six at 2:56 p.m. An allowance race at 6:13 p.m. has a field of 10 and no early sickouts for late afternoon and evening players.
The Aqueduct card may not be loaded this weekend, but it was the venue for long shots to make waves last weekend.
Bombs Away, Salute to Long Shots
At Aqueduct, a maiden special weights race with an 11-horse field on turf produced strong numbers last Saturday.
The winner, Bay Street Money, stalked the early pace and won at 5-1. Howe St. rallied from the back of the pack and surged into second at 9-2. After that, Torpedo Run became the money horse. At 62-1, he assumed the early lead, and no one pressed him until the final turn. That enabled him to hold up and annex the third slot, producing a payout of $3,830 for the trifecta. Al’s Rocket was fourth at 7-2.
The $2 superfecta paid an incredible $38,408. That’s $19,204 for a $1 super and $1,920 for the 10-cent variety many people play.
What keyed the payout was that Torpedo Run stayed in the money and no prohibitive favorite hit the board. In fact, there was no prohibitive favorite in the race.
An honor-roll presentation involved a Sunday race at Aqueduct.
- Dot’s Dollar triumphed at an 8-1 morning-line odds.
- Baltasar was second at 7-2.
- Wegottaguy was third at 5-1.
- Vinny Two Cents was fourth at 20-1 — and he was far more than two cents.
The $1 trifecta paid $535. The $1 superfecta paid $10,905, meaning the 10-center was $1,090.50.
Why it paid well: There was a big field with no big-money favorite to claim a big chunk of the pool, dividing the betting among several horses — this spelled opportunity.
Looking ahead: Ready, set, bet
A couple of tracks return to the fold in the coming days.
Woodbine Race Track outside of Toronto launches its live meet on Saturday. The 133-day program runs through Dec. 11. Races post on weekends until May 6, then Friday twilight cards are added. Thursday racing commences May 12. Post time for weekend racing is 1:10 p.m.
The 163rd running of The Queen’s Plate on Sunday, August 21, is the crown jewel of the 2022 racing season at Woodbine. More than $16.9 million in stakes races will be contested throughout the new season, including 37 graded stakes.
Other notable dates for the 2022 season include the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser (July 24), the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (September 17) and the Breeders’ Stakes (October 2).
The West Virginia Double
Here’s another entry into the early and midweek racing pool.
Mountaineer Park in Cumberland, WV, opens its 135-day campaign on Monday, April 18. The track will run Monday-Wednesday evenings with a 7 p.m. post. It will be open on Kentucky Derby afternoon. Most of its early May schedule will occur Sunday through Tuesday. In late May, the track will add Wednesday, providing a four-day program throughout the rest of the year.
Mountaineer joins Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, which runs most Thursdays-Saturdays, to give West Virginia an excellent racing package. With a few exceptions, the state of West Virginia will offer live racing nearly every day once its full schedule kicks in.
This season is an excellent time for bettors to determine trends at each facility regarding leading jockeys, trainers and field sizes. By selecting some early-week dates, Mountaineer is trying to corral some betting interest on days when many tracks are dark.
