A graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Scott has covered horse racing since 2004, first at HRTV and later with TVG. He has been part the broadcast team coverage of the Triple Crown, Dubai World Cup (G1) and Royal Ascot. His father Richard Hazelton won more than 4,700 races during a training career that spanned over 60 years.
Welcome to week 2 of the Keeneland Fall Meeting!
1-3-8
#1 Military Road Will likely be the second choice behind the #3 Fountain Road, but I don't think there's a lot separating these two and this horse will be able to save ground going into the first term and lay just off the pace and he comes in with some of the best speed figures of any of these runners in the first race of this new week of racing at Keeneland.
3-10-1
#3 Snow Bunny Gardner my top pic in a race that doesn't have a lot of form to lean on and it shouldn't take much to win given what these horses have done or most notably not done over the course of their career. At least this horse ran a good third place finish in her most recent start three months ago up at Horseshoe Indianapolis and she gets Luis Saez in the saddle and they add blinkers.
1-2-3
#1 Justinqueso has rounded back into form nicely in her last couple of starts since moving back to dirt for the first time in a really long time. Not to mention the horse achieve beat by four links that finish second in her most recent race on August 27 came back to one stakes event on September 19 so that certainly flatters her form I'd rather she wasn't in post position number one, but it is what it is.
6-7-1
#6 Jump Seat ran respectable second place finish in her first career start rallying from off the pace. She's a half sister to 2 time champion, Essential Quality, and she's by a horse of the year in Flightline so the added distance should really move her forward today.
3-1-8
#3 Countthetrue well, she might not be coming out of the types of races/better races that the other runners in this race are this horse put together an extremely strong effort to win in a maiden $30,000 claiming race on September 19 putting together a pretty fast time for the level and in comparison to the rest of this group, one of if not the best races of any of them. There's a good chance she could get a bit overlooked because of that race, but she only beat what she was asked to in the situation she was put in and that was a strong effort.
2-3-8
#2 Clairita looks to regain her form from one of her races back in the spring which will more than be enough to succeed here today. In her most recent start they tried her on turf and she was not nearly as good as her dirt races. The post position is a big plus as well drawn down to the inside. I think she bounces back.
7-11-3
#7 Lucy McGee has been a steady horse throughout her career, winning 2 of 12 races and finishing in the top three in 7 of 12 races. She won here back in the spring and then proceeded to win her next start at Ellis. Her last run was at KY Downs and so far her two worst races have come there in her career. A bounce back looks in line today coming back to Keeneland and should be a solid price come post time.
7-6-11
#7 Jack Attack is trained by Brendan Walsh who wins 23% of the time when debuting a horse in a maiden claimer as he is today not only with the #7 but also with #6 Enoughisenough. The reason I gravitate towards #7 Jack Attack is that fact that he was purchased for $70k and while that may not seem to be a big deal, he is ineligible to run in a Maiden “Auction” Restricted race by $5k. Those races are for horses purchased or “RNA’d” for $65k or less. Stay with me. In my observations over the last few years it seems like those types of races are close to what a $50k claimer is, like this race. All that being said I’m taking a shot on a theory and Brendan Walsh’s first-out win percentage with maiden claimers.
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