High Stakes and Horse Racing at Kentucky Downs Saturday

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00:00We head over to Kentucky Downs.

00:07There is huge money up for grabs, Alexa.

00:10When I look through the past performances, it doesn't even seem

00:12real to see the purses of all these races.

00:15The maiden races run for like $170,000 purses.

00:19There's $200,000 allowance races and all of the stakes races that

00:23we're going to talk about in the next few minutes have a $2 million

00:27purse.

00:28So if you're a turf horse of any quality right now, you're running

00:34at Kentucky Downs because there's just huge money up for grabs.

00:37Yeah, I mean this is it.

00:39People are shipping horses from other countries to come try to get

00:42get some of this juicy purse money this weekend.

00:45So the first race of those six big stakes races is the race 6 on

00:51the card and it's grade 3 ladies marathon going a mile and 5 16 on

00:55the turf.

00:56Turf's the only surface at Kentucky Downs for three-year-olds and

01:00the number six Varagara is my favorite in here going to be three

01:03and a half to one, you know horses really do have a love-hate

01:05relationship with Kentucky Downs and she loves it.

01:08She's run over the course twice and won both times including the

01:11dueling grounds Oaks in 2022 and this race last year.

01:15So, you know since then they've increased the purse from $900,000

01:18to $2 million and her trainer Graham Motion said this race is

01:22the reason why they have not retired her to be a Brutemare.

01:25She's coming back to try to defend it and bring home that money.

01:29But aside from her the number two chop shop is also of note.

01:33She'll be the favorite and has had has hit the board every race for

01:36her last eight starts.

01:38She's also run over Kentucky Downs surface once when she was two

01:41years old and did win that race giving her a shot at the Breeders

01:44Cup juvenile Phillies championships in 2022.

01:47What makes this style of turf course at Kentucky so unique is that

01:51it's a deep kind of tiring turf course Alexa.

01:54They call it undulating.

01:56What was your nickname for it?

01:57Like a kidney?

01:58It's shaped like a kidney.

01:59Here we go, right?

02:00So it is one of those courses that certain horses like it and they

02:05really like it and other horses don't and then they just don't fire

02:08at all.

02:09We move to race number seven.

02:10It's the grade to Music City six and a half furlongs on the turf

02:14course.

02:14This race feels like you might be able to have five or six horses

02:18around five to one.

02:20It's such an evenly matched group.

02:21There's going to be a bunch of horses all in that price range.

02:24The one that'll take the most money is probably the nine pounds, but

02:27the horse we're looking at is the one I actually like most.

02:29That's the eight buttercream, babe.

02:31She faced the boys in her last start.

02:33She was third and she was only beaten a half length in a really good

02:36effort where she might have had a sneaky troubled trip that day.

02:39So buttercream, babe for me, there's not a lot of speed in this race.

02:43Maybe the three time to dazzle is a horse.

02:45You can upgrade a little bit.

02:47I'll hand the baton to you Alexa for race number eight.

02:50Yeah, race eight is the grade three million stakes going a mile on

02:53the turf for three-year-olds.

02:55Typically horses really only run about once a month, but the purses

02:59here at Kentucky Downs are so big that there are a few trainers who

03:02are had their horses run last week and they're bringing them back

03:05this weekend to compete again before the end of this short meet.

03:08There are three of those in here.

03:10The number three Irish aces the number four cash equity and the

03:13number 11 Goliad.

03:15It's a tall ask for sure.

03:16But out of those three, I do like Goliad the best for having some

03:21repeat success.

03:22He won last week by getting the lead and wiring the field.

03:25He has the fastest early speed again today.

03:27So even though it's a tougher competition, I do think he should

03:30be able to get that spot.

03:31He likes number 10 ancient Rome will be the tepid favorite in here.

03:35His career is in Europe, but his trainer ships him over to the US

03:38to target this meet and so far it's been successful plan as he is

03:42the defending champion in this race race.

03:45Number nine is the grade one Franklin Simpson.

03:48Someone in here is going to be a grade one winner after Saturday.

03:51It's a really unproven group some horses that are on my radar.

03:55You big band there.

03:57You Big Bang Theory fans are going to be very excited because

03:59Howard Wolowitz is actually my top selection and a horse who was

04:02completely buried down on the inside.

04:04He had traffic trouble to deal with.

04:06I think he fits really well would not be shocked to see them get

04:09aggressive there.

04:10I had this race on my personal top selection stack 10 8 4.

04:15I expect to see yellow card show an improved effort little bit of

04:18trouble last time out and please advise.

04:20I think fits very well in here.

04:22Alexa race number 10 set us up for the turf Cup.

04:26Yep, the grade 2 turf Cup.

04:28This one is a Breeders Cup win in your in challenge race.

04:31So whoever wins this race gets their paid way to the World Championships

04:35in November.

04:36It's going to be a fast pace and it's going to be set by number four

04:39get smoking, which is exactly what happened last year get smoking

04:43wire the feel and one and I think he just might be able to do it

04:46again for his win last year.

04:48He got the entry in a Breeders Cup and then very unfortunately injured

04:52his manhood a couple of days before the World Championships and could

04:55not compete.

04:56So, you know, he's back and looking for a second chance a second shot

05:00at the Breeders Cup.

05:01He'll be at 12 to 1 odds or more.

05:03The favor will be number two integration who's going to take the

05:06opposite approach to get smoking and put up a late rally.

05:10One other long shot to note is number 720 port who barely lost to get

05:14smoking last out.

05:15The 11th race will all be about Cogburn.

05:18This is a horse who set a North American record in the grade one

05:22jiper getting five and a half furlongs on the turf in 59.80 seconds.

05:27I wish I could give you something more creative to try to beat

05:30Cogburn, but he's one of the better horses in training right now.

05:33He didn't love Kentucky and his only start there.

05:35So maybe that could be the knock.

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