Tom Leach

Tom Leach is “the Voice of the Wildcats” for football and men’s basketball and a contributor to Keeneland.com as well. He is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for radio coverage of thoroughbred racing. During race meets, check out Keeneland’s You Tube channel for his trainer and jockey interviews ahead of major stakes races and listen for the weekly “In The Money” podcast with Tom and Jim Goodman at keenelandselect.com. You can follow Tom’s coverage of the Cats at tomleachky.com




Sunday, April 14, 2013

Race 1:  Getaway Spot (7) ran his best race in his start at Keeneland and he's the pick here.  Earstoyou (6) also likes the track and must be respected if ready.  EXACTA BOX:  7-6-4

Race 2:  the favorites look beatable here so let's look for a possible value play in Owl Moon (4)--this one has a pedigree that suggests he will like this track.  EXACTA BOX:  4-6-9

Race 3:  the top two look strong so it's hard to imagine either Pataky Kid (4) or Are You Kidding Me (2) won't win this.  The best bet may be to find a horse with higher odds that could beat one of them and finish second and for me, that's Infinite Magic (7).  EXACTA BOX:  4-2-7

Race 4:  Noun (8) has a good race here and goes for a trainer that has a good record getting horses ready off the layoff.  EXACTA BOX:  8-7-3

Race 5:  Gallant Pleasure (4) is in top form and I like the fact that a top jockey like Kent Desormeaux picks up the mount.  EXACTA BOX:  4-10-11

Race 6:  a really wide open race and some strong contenders have outside draws and may get hung out wide.  I'll take a shot with Valient Girl (9) and the Motion/Prado team that has been a strong combination at this meet.  This one comes off a win that looks better on tape that it does on paper.  Ann of the Dance (3), Goldrush Girl (10) and Blushandbashful (11) are all solid contenders so let's do a 4-horse box with the exacta.  EXACTA BOX:  9-3-10-11

Race 7:  the trainer/jockey combo of Jonathan Sheppard and Rosie Napravnik has been potent over recent years at Keeneland and that makes Utley (8) an intriguing longshot play in this spot.  Major Marvel (6) and Mister Mardi Gras (9) are the horses to beat.  EXACTA BOX:  8-6-9

Race 8:  Magical Moon (6) goes third off the layoff and ran well here last fall.  In a race with no standout, she looks like a strong contender.  Two California shippers must be respected--Judy in Disguise (4) and Caio Bella Luna (10) and AllaboutCaroline (8) is a longshot that is worth a look with her speed.  EXACTA BOXES:   6-4, 6-10, 6-8

Race 9:  Henry's Thunder (12) is in good form and I'll go with that angle in a weak field.  EXACTA BOX: 12-11-10

BEST EXACTA RACE:  6

50-cent LATE PICK FOUR FOR $50 or less:  3-9-10-11 with 8-6-9 with 6-8-4-10 with 12-11 = $48

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