Let’s step away now till next week from the online sportsbook Breeders Cup action and take a look at Saturday’s $250,000 Grade 2 seven-furlong Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland for sophomore fillies, an extremely difficult race for sportsbook review enthusiasts to decipher.
Some nice young ladies have won this race including Bobby Frankel’s first winning student Sightseek in 2002. Bobby won his second and last Raven Run 4 years ago with Jibboom.
The classy and quick Informed Decision won in 2008 and last year Hilda’s Passion dueled nearly every step of the way to just draw away late by three quarters when posting a winning 91 Beyer for Todd Pletcher and company. She was coming off a facile win in a $70,000 Saratoga stakes.
She proved the win was no fluke taking the Grade 1 Ballerina this summer at Saratoga.
A total of 24 nominated for this race but only 13 will face the starter.
Ms. Cruisen’ has sub :22 speed but will have to use it to flee the rail. Eligible for a N2X fray, this miss appears to be overmatched today.
Groupie Doll has only run one poor race and it was in her debut on turf. She proved her class winning a Grade 3 in August and finished with interest when wide in a live race last time. The 9th finisher in last took a $250,000 stakes next out and the 10th finisher won a $176,000 stakes last weekend.
Hot Summer has to find a way to turn the online wagering tables on arch rival Strike the Moon, who just handled her at Charles Town.
Great Hot is in the cagey hands of A. C. Avila, a shrewd Western-based horseman. Miss has trained fast for this and she was far from disgraced when beaten just 2 lengths in the Grade 1 Ladys Secret last time.
Funny Sunny will be in a stalk and pounce mode while Button Girl will be making her synthetic debut and she will have to adapt on the fly.
Roman Treasure flattered Hot Summer by freaking in a $57,000 stakes last time but Dr. Diamonds Prize seems out of her league as she was crushed in her other Graded stakes attempt.
Long Lake Krista is ambitiously spotted as she has lost three in a row since winning her debut with a mediocre 71 Beyer.
Honey Chile has trained fast for this and proved she fits when second in a Grade 2 here at this very distance in April.
Strike the Moon will try the Polytrack for the first time but she has tons of class and should be a handful.
Mizdirection has been extremely consistent and she doesn’t need the lead to win while Grandacious will break from the outside slot but has been crushed in her last two efforts.
This is as tough as stakes as one will encounter but let’s shoot for the moon, key a horse on top, and try to get lucky in the trifecta.
Strike the Moon broke her maiden at this demanding distance, has run well at a number of different venues and is the key horse.
Use Great Hot, Mizdirection, Groupie Doll and Hot Summer in the trifecta and hope for some racing luck. It will help you prepare for the upcoming Breeder’s Cup betting.