US Racing Preview: Gold to Edge it at Keeneland

Gold Edge can win at Keeneland.

Timeform's Graeme North looks ahead to Friday's action at Keeneland...

Keeneland's fall meet opens on Friday with a bang as the track hosts the first of seven contests over the weekend that guarantee the winner a place in the Breeders' Cup. Friday's race, the G1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes over a mile and a sixteenth on polytrack, has attracted fourteen two-year-old fillies and could hardly be more open with nine of the runners separated by just 4 lb on Timeform ratings and nothing shorter than 6 on the Morning Line.

Marginally top on ratings of 104 and 103p respectively are Rose To Gold and Gold Edge. Rose To Gold is unbeaten in two outings at Calder and followed her 13-length debut win on a sloppy track in a minor stakes race with a similar margin of victory in the $100,000 Brace Raj Stakes there last month. She 'could be anything' but both her wins were gained in relatively modest times and she has to show she is just as effective on this different surface.

Neither of those accusations can be levelled at the sole Graded winner in the line-up, Gold Edge, who has won on both dirt and polytrack and registered a timefigure of 103 when overcoming a similarly large field in the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes last time. A narrow victory over a couple of others that also started at big prices and re-oppose here - La Song and Dancinginthcircle - clearly hasn't frightened away potential opposition, however, and Spring In The Air and Magical Moon among others could both arguably be higher than their 101 rating.

Spring In The Air ran up against what will almost certainly be one of the favourites for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, Spring Venture, at Woodbine last time and there's every chance she will be ridden closer up on this occasion now her stamina in not in doubt. She's already a winner on a synthetic surface unlike Magical Moon who left her debut dirt form well behind when switched to turf at Saratoga last time but now faces not only a different surface again but a three-furlong longer trip on top.

Speedinthruthecity ticks all the boxes as far as merit, stamina and ability to handle the surface are concerned having finished second to the leading West Coast juvenile filly Executiveprivilege at Del Mar in the G3 Landaluce two starts back but she's had four runs now and might not have the same scope to improve as some others. While the claims of Rose To Gold in a tough race are very much respected, the value looks to be with Spring in the Air and Gold Edge - Morning Line forecasts of 13 look to have underestimated their chances.

The other highlight at Keeneland on Friday is the G3 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes over six furlongs. Three-year-old Sum Of The Parts, who is unbeaten in two starts on a synthetic surface, including over this course and distance, sets a good standard and can probably be excused his latest substandard run seeing as it came on his turf debut.

A repeat of any of his three 118-rated front-running wins before that would usually be good enough to see him back in the winner's circle in a normal renewal of this event but with three other runners in the field having average early position figures of 94 or higher there's a high chance of an excessively strong early pace which could be the detriment of all that contest it.

That said, few of those likely to be ridden with restraint have a solid profile or come into the race in top form. Aikenite is probably the exception among that number. He's not run since last November, but that's seldom an issue where horses trained by Todd Pletcher are concerned and he has a good record fresh anyway. The race should be run to suit him at a track where he has a very good record - two wins and two second places (including in this event last year when beaten a short head) from just five runs - but the 5 forecast on the Morning Line gives little away.

Recommendations
0.5pt win both Gold Edge and Spring in the Air in the Alcibiades Stakes