Race 10 at Keeneland | Saturday, October 3 | Post Time: 5:48 PM Eastern

Coolmore Turf Mile Stakes – Grade 1 | Purse: $1,250,000 | One Mile | Three-Year-Olds and Upward

Top Win Contender(s): Lake Forest (7), Zulu Kingdom (9)

For third in trifectas: Brilliant Berti (2), Pass the Hat (5), Kupuna (8)

Lake Forest (7) ships in from England, where he just finished second in one of the year's most prestigious races, the Group 1 City of York Stakes in August. Lake Forest's last race earned an 116 Equibase Speed Figure, one of the best in this field, after he rallied from 10th among 12 horses. The winner of this year’s City of York Stakes was Notable Speech, who has won 10 races in his career, including last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile and this year’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile.

Given that the Woodbine Mile winner, Notable Speech, would be the odds-on favorite if he were running in the Coolmore Turf Mile and that he will be the favorite one month before the Breeders’ Cup Mile, considering his last effort, Lake Forest will be the horse to beat.

Zulu Kingdom (9) has raced once at Keeneland, this spring when he won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes. That was his fifth consecutive win. Zulu Kingdom earned a career-best figure of 112 last year and improved it when he won the Hall of Fame Stakes, but he was disqualified. Zulu Kingdom earned a new career-best figure of 113 when he won the Maker’s Mark Mile after an eight-month layoff. He earned a 112 figure two races later winning the Kelso Stakes in July. He has finished third twice this year. His trainer, Chad Brown, won this race in 2024 with Carl Spackler, and last year Program Trading finished second. Brown’s record in the top mile races at Keeneland, the Maker’s Mark and the Coolmore Turf Mile is 5-4-1 in 16 starts. Zulu Kingdom is the only other horse I believe can win.

Win bets:

Lake Forest (7), Zulu Kingdom (9) at odds of 3 to 2 or higher.

Exactas:

Box: Lake Forest (7), Zulu Kingdom (9)

Trifecta: Lake Forest (7), Zulu Kingdom (9) over Lake Forest (7), Zulu Kingdom (9) over Brilliant Berti (2), Pass the Hat (5), Kupuna (8)