Grandkids are coming here for a visit this weekend and one of my favorite racing places starts up…hell of a week…

Kee offers great jocks, trainers and horses all gearing up for a 5-day only meet, where pedigree actually means something. (I rely heavily on Keeneland’s free database which I download as a CSV file and sort to find winners…and I’m currently infatuated with the sire Munnings, so that may skew my choices)

Best bets Wed.-

Race1-Horses moving turf to dirt in these situations (Maiden Claiming) win over 30%...say hello to the 6-Beaver Hat…9-Majority Rules’ daddy Tiznow dominates these races the last 5 years

Race2…the 1-Heaven’s Whisper will be slammed, why not try the 3-Sunset Paula Jo, who won here easily at a higher level last fall; she’ll be a huge price…unless the 2-Take Charge Erica gets an easy lead, because they won’t catch her…

Race4…Maidens, older go 1 1/16 on the grass…MY GIRL 1-Fate Factor will fire on the rail, should clear any traffic, sit just off the lead and mow them down in the lane…the 5-Flying the Colours is trained by Motion, who won here similarly with Mean Mary (she has gone on to much greater things)…she’ll be the deserved favorite but at 9/5, but I think she’ll bounce off her last effort, and I’d look elsewhere…Gulfstream shippers like the 6-Forty Zip have done well here historically.

Race8…10-Digital fits with a closer’s strength and trainer Calhoun has won turf sprints with myriad horses…his daddy (Into Mischief) has sired 3 different turf sprinters here at Kee…fits, but you’ll need to get at least 3-1…8-Ikeisgreat (perhaps some board mojo?) is one of those Munning’s I like and fits with distance off his last race…6,5,2 as well??? Tough race

Love this meet, interested to hear other thoughts.

Love Keeneland my 60th birthday present was there and Louisville in the 1st Wartime Hero 3rd start drops and pops for Cat.

Best bets Wed.-

Race16-Beaver Hat…finished 2nd...9-Majority Rules Nope

Race2…the 1-Heaven’s Whisper will be slammed (finished 1st), why not try the 3-Sunset Paula Jo finished 3rd, 2-Take Charge Erica gets an easy lead, because they won’t catch her…(narrator:they did catch her)

Race4MY GIRL 1-Fate Factor brave 2nd at a price...5-Flying the Colours (4th) i 6-Forty Zip (3rd)

a profitable day....Ramsey winning the last put me over the top Coat no Makers Mark.,. shame

So I am not a connaisseur...is Makers Mark considered good? I've always liked it, but I'm a ....not educated

So I am not a connaisseur...is Makers Mark considered good? I've always liked it, but I'm a ....not educated

I'm a Scotch guy, but I think it's pretty accurate to say that Maker's is a "baseline" Bourbon. Anything worse is rotgut and anything better is pretty good.

Day 2 the 1st Fauci rock solid exacta box with Frosted Prayer look for a big improvement 4th Stealth broke his Maiden at Keeneland can do

Thanks...any thoughts on Keeneland?

Good luck to all over the weekend, I probably won't be around.

hope you meant that in a handcapping kind of way and not life in general

So the grandkids got here (albeit with a blowout on 290 by Woodfield where grandpa had to transfer a couple of young ones from one car to the other)…all safe and sound, now I need to teach them to read the forms

In the Makers Mark (Race how could you not look at the two Mike Makers, 1-Hembree and the 3-Parlor…consider the lesser of the two heavy Brown favorites the 8-Without Parole… But most of all I like the 5-English Bee in an upset…cuts back out of Churchill and is poised

Race 9-a couple of local trainers should do well here...Catalano runs the 4-Major Attraction and Rivelli lures Irad Ortiz to pilot the 1st timer 5-Deep Dive…the 6-Backshot is a big class drop that has been running well enough...trainer Miller was 4/8 last year here

Saturday’s thoughts for Kee


Race 2- high on sire Munnings as a sire right now, so the 6-Swill along with Cox/Rosario anywhere near 4-1 I’m all over
finished 3rd

Race 4-4-Alms comes out of a tough race…2-Enola Gay debut at Kentucky Downs was awesome and Leparoux is great on the turf in small fields
2-finishes 1st, pays $12...wish it paid more and could've used a "bomb" reference..that was a hell of a finish for such a short field

Race 5- I’m going to try to beat Guarana, hopping that the pace heats up over the 7f and going to look for the 8-Bell’s the One to come flying late

I did not and he did not

Race 6 Shakertown might be more of the same…8-Bound For Nowhere won this Shakertown 2 years ago and was 2nd last year…looking for a blanket finish of several horses including the 4-Tell Your Daddy, (nope) the 13-Leinstar ($22!!!) and perhaps best of all the 7-Fast Boat fourth...but a great finish and 43 and change for the 1/2