Friday October 10, 2025
Sycamore Stakes – Race 9 at Keeneland – Post Time 5:16 PM Eastern
Top Win Contenders: Safe Trip Home, Ohana Honor, Utah Beach, Goldeneye
Safe Trip Home won his last race, which was also one mile and one-half. He is the only horse in this field that won their last race. He won coming off a three-month layoff. His career Equibase numbers are 103 and 104, the latter is the highest figure of any horse in this field, and he could run an even better in his second off the layoff. He put in a Safe Trip Home last from the fifth and four-length at a quarter mile, to make a bid to get to an eighth mark and holding a win easily to five lengths. There are no horses with low favorite odds, and Safe Trip Home gets the slight top pick.
Ohona Honor ran after a 10-month layoff in August, finished in second place, and it was a shorter mile at seventy yards. In March 2024, he ran well and finished third. In that second race after his second layoff, he won a wire-to-wire victory after taking control from the start. That could maintain the lead from start to finish. The other is a Prat (riding her today) has not been in the winner’s circle since that win in April 2024 at Keeneland. Ohona Honor
Utah Beach is two for three at Keeneland on turf, with one of those wins coming six months ago in the Elkhorn, a similar race to the Sycamore this fall. He won the Louisville Stakes (111 figure) the next month, also at 12 furlongs. He ran poorly in three races since then (seventh, fourth and ninth), but back at Keeneland, where he previously won, and also finished second and third in the 2024 Sycamore, he could be a contender.
Goldeneye had two 12-furlong race winners, including one a year ago this week, in his lone turf try at Keeneland. He won the Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes (102 figures) in November. He changed trainers to McPeek last June and finished fifth, then went on to win in July and August. He ran a two-mile distance in August and was second with a quarter to run but tired to fourth in the end. We can expect him to run well at the shorter 12-furlong distance.
Handicapper Picks
Win: Safe Trip Home can be considered for a win bet at fair odds of 5/2.
The other contenders (Ohana Honor, Utah Beach, Goldeneye), one of the other three at a second bet, at the highest odds of 7/2 or higher.
Exacta: Box Safe Trip Home, Ohana Honor, Utah Beach, Goldeneye
Saturday October 11, 2025
Glen Stakes – Race 10 at Aqueduct (Belmont at the Big A) – Post Time 4:53 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender: It Ain’t Two, Love Cervere, Me Governor, Annascaul
It Ain’t Two, I will ignore her last race at Kentucky Downs because some horses run poorly there. She ran one race before this at a mile, where she led start to seven furlongs in a one-mile race, then tired just a nose behind. One race before that, she rallied from sixth to second. The trainer Riley Mott ran a powerful winner at Keeneland last Sunday (Kawaitya), who was training with It Ain’t Two, and if Mott thinks enough of this filly to ship to her Aqueduct, she is a contender.
The winner, Love Cervere, won a stake at Woodbine in May, with It Ain’t Two running second. Cervere finished third and second in two subsequent races. She also won a stakes at Aqueduct in May at this distance. The last race she earned a 101, which is the best of any horse in the field, so that she may be the legitimate favorite.
Me Governor also won a stakes race at Aqueduct at six furlongs last November. She lost in four races since November, but won her previous with a career 97 figure. She achieved her second win, so she has had success winning two.
Annascaul won a stakes race in May at Aqueduct at this distance with a 95 figure, also a similar effort as other contenders. All in, she finished first and second in four races and fifth in a turf sprint. Love Cereve is also trained by Clement.
Handicapper Picks
Win: It Ain’t Two can be considered for a win bet at fair odds of 4/1.
Exacta:
It Ain’t Two and Love Cervere over It Ain’t Two, Love Cervere, Me Governor, Annascaul
It Ain’t Two, Love Cervere, Me Governor, Annascaul over It Ain’t Two and Love Cervere
California Flag Handicap – Race 7 at Santa Anita – Post Time 7:08 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender: Man O Rose
Man O Rose has won eight of his 15 races, including three turf wins from his five turf races. He won the E.B. Johnston Stakes in a mile last month off a 10-month layoff, for a big 113 Equibase field career best. Cutting back from that mile race to this six-and-a-half-furlong distance. He has won, in the front, from start to end, in his last two-mile races (on dirt), but he has also stalked in second in the previous stakes on the grass to win. He is the one to win.
Handicapper Picks
Win: Man O Rose consider a win bet at odds of 8 to 5.