Thoughts on: Keeneland – Race 1 – Thursday, April 10, 2025
A relatively small field of eight, including two fillies and six males, will compete over Four and a Half Furlongs on the dirt. ‘The Maestro’, Wesley Ward, and Paul McEntee will each saddle two runners. Tacitus is the lone First-Crop sire.
#3 Ashkenazi (4/5) – The odds on Morning Line favorite is one of the two Hootenanny sired runners for Wes Ward. This filly is a Ward homebred and is out of an Into Mischief mare that won as a two-year-old in a Maiden Claiming event, as did one of her three full siblings. She’s worked four times, including three spins here at Keeneland. Her last work was sizzling – 34.4 seconds for three panels (1/10).
#5 Baytown Anibus (12/1) – McEntee will saddle this colt, who was sired by Cairo Prince (14.3% with babies in MSW races over the past five years). Paul picked this dude up as a yearling for only $5,000. Mama (by More than Ready) won a stakes event while a 2YO, and she went on to run in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf; she’s thrown three other foals of racing age. This guy drilled twice at Turfway Park and most recently, twice over the Keeneland oval. His last work was completed in 35.6 seconds over a sloppy 3/8th of a mile (2/7).
#7 Double Talker (4/1) – Ward’s other runner is another Hootenanny colt and is a homebred from Ice Wine Stable. His dam was unraced, and this is her first foal. Wes has pumped four works into this guy, with the most recent three coming here at KEE. His last covered three poles and was done in 35.8 seconds (2/27).
#8 Baytown Dreamer (8/1) – This colt is the second runner that McEntee will saddle, and he’s by Mendelssohn (12.7%). The clever trainer also plunked down a mere $5,000 for this youngster last year when he was a yearling. His dam is by Munnings and she scored twice in seven starts, but never ran as a juvenile. She’s tossed three other foals of racing age. This fella started his prep work at Turfway Park before two spins here at Keeneland. Last out in the morning, he went three furlongs from the gate in 35.8 seconds (2/27).
My Pick – Playing against Ward is dangerous, much less playing against two runners from Wes. However, I’m going to go with McEntee’s colt - #5 Baytown Anubis. His last work was on a soupy track, and he moved smoothly and covered the watery ground like a professional. I also like the fact that his dam was precocious, so let’s give him a shot at a nice price.