By Joe Quillen
Today is closing day for the Keeneland April meet, and their featured race on their final card of the meet is the Grade 3 Bewitch Stakes, which goes a mile and a half on the turf course for older fillies and mares. Post time is set for approximately 4:07 pm Eastern time.
The 6 War Like Goddess returns to the races today as the very heavy 3/5 morning line favorite here. She’s 3 for 4 at Keeneland and started her season here last year winning this race. She has beaten the boys in the past, which is something I look for when I see fillies and mares race. She will display her closing kick per usual, even if she isn’t 100% ready for this race.
The 8 Vergara (4/1 ML) returns from a five month break as well here and she will be the speed of the race. She appears to be the speed of the race, and maybe she’s the horse that can steal this race if War Like Goddess doesn’t have that kick being first race back or the fact that she is now a seven-year-old mare? The only problem with Vergara is that she is a 10-furlong horse, and this is going 12.
The 5 Lovely Princess (8/1 ML) returns after running January at the Fair Grounds, and she should like the mile and a half distance here today. She is going to give an honest effort each race and probably has just as strong of a kick as War Like Goddess.
The 2 Queen Command (12/1 ML) couldn’t catch a gate to wire horse last time out at Santa Anita, but she can settle behind the leaders and mike a nice run, probably at an inflated price with the extremely heavy favorite here.
I want to just tell you play War Like Goddess and move on. If you are playing late pick three, late pick 4, late pick 5, or even the pick 6, where all those wagers today are mandatory payouts, I would tell you to just single this mare and load up on the other races. But I want to pick a winner here AND cut into my deficit here. Let’s swing for the fences with Lovely Princess and hope her kick is just as powerful as the kick that War Like Goddess is known to have. I’ll call this 5-6-8-2, and my play is $20 to win on the 5. Good luck everyone!