Race 7 at Keeneland – Post Time 4:12 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender(s): Floodlites
For exacta: Kalahari Dreams
Floodlites won his last two races, both on this six-furlong dirt trip. All his races, except his debut (in July 2024), were run on different surfaces. When he tried sprinting on dirt last October, he was a different horse, winning in hand. His two recent races were the fastest of any horse’s two recent races in the field, earning a 97 Equibase Speed Figure in October and a 100 in December. Two horses have run faster, but those two horses won in August and November and have put in poor efforts in each of their last two races. Floodlites is trained by Wesley Ward, the top trainer at Keeneland so far at this meet, and he has won nine of 20 races in the past year with horses returning from 90 to 150 days off. Jockey John Velazquez rides Floodlites for the first time. Velazquez and Ward have won 22 of 61 races in the past three years. Floodlites won his last race from the start, but he rallied from fourth to win his second race back, and that race came at Keeneland. He is versatile and the horse to beat.
Kalahari Dreams has finished second six times in 12 dirt races, making him a good choice for exactas.
Handicapper Picks
Win bets: Floodlites at 8 to 5 or higher.
Exactas: straight Floodlites over Kalahari Dreams
Doubles and Pick 3:
Race 7: Floodlites
Race 8: Dhabab, Works for Me, Troubleshooting
Race 9: British Isles, Rattle N Roll
Race 8 at Keeneland – Post Time 4:45 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender(s): Dhabab, Works for Me, Troubleshooting
Dhabab won an exact race at Keeneland, at five and one-half furlongs on turf, in the same classified allowance race. In that race, Dhabab rallied from seventh of eight to get up by three-quarters of a length. Dhabab is a consistent horse in these turf sprints, where he has finished first or second in his last six of seven races, all with jockey Corey Lanerie, who rides him again. He earned a strong 103 Equibase Speed Figure in October and a 106 in a similar race last June. In a race in November, he missed by a nose. He starts at 8 to 1, can win, and is very likely to be part of the exacta.
Works for Me finished fifth among 12 horses in his last race in February. He started 11th and was beaten by just three lengths, despite going four paths wide. Before that, he finished first twice and second twice, with figures of 103 and 106. Flavien Prat rode in six races, including two wins and two seconds, but did not ride him in his last start. He has been working at Keeneland on the turf and is another with a shot to finish second.
Troubleshooting ran at this distance last April at Keeneland and earned his first win. Since then, he has won three and finished second twice in six races. He also stretched out to win the Bryan Station Stakes last October at Keeneland. His most recent race, coming in ninth at Churchill Downs, was in November. He was off time from this, but the win last April was off for five months, and he can come back to run his best race fresh.
Handicapper Picks
Win bets: Dhabab, Works for Me at 7 to 2 or higher.
Troubleshooting at 4 to 1 or higher.
Exactas: Box Dhabab, Works for Me, Troubleshooting
Doubles:
Race 8: Dhabab, Works for Me, Troubleshooting
Race 9: British Isles, Rattle N Roll
The Ben Ali Stakes – Race 9 at Keeneland – Post Time 5:16 PM Eastern
Top Win Contender(s): British Isles, Rattle N Roll
For the second in exactas: Stars and Stripes, Batten Down
British Isles just won the Santa Anita Handicap in March at one and one-quarter miles, winning easily by four lengths. He was flattered by the runner-up, Vodka Vodka, who won the Sunland Park Stakes, a $250K purse race similar to this $350K. That effort earned British Isles a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 107. British Isles earned 105 and 106 figures in his last races in 2025. He has been training at Keeneland and has top jockey, John Velazquez. The horse has excellent tactical speed and should have a good position, where he can win just like in his last race.
Rattle N Roll has now won 11 of 31 races. He finished second twice at Keeneland and won once. That race, six months ago, in the similar Fayette Stakes, where he raced early 11th with a huge rally, then finished second, earning a 106 figure. He also won the Tinsel Stakes in December, when he earned his best career 109 figure. He has been off since finishing the $20M Saudi Cup in February, but he has been working for this race, and he should put in a big race.
Batten Down opens as the 2-to-1 favorite because he easily won his last race by eight lengths. But it was a “restricted” stakes race and, as in all four of his career wins, he led from the start. There are two horses with early speed (Gun and Glory and Awesome Aaron, who is inside of Batten Down). His best career figure is 100, and he is a five-year-old who may not be able to run much faster.
Stars and Stripes have won three of four two-turn races, and his recent race earned him a 109 figure, which is good enough to win. However, that was 15 points faster than his last race, and these horses don’t always run fast. If he finishes a bit slower, he could still have a shot. On the other hand, he is racing in a two-turn stakes race, where the other three contenders have all won top stakes races.
Handicapper Picks
Win bets: British Isles, Rattle N Roll at odds of 5 to 2 or higher.
Exactas: British Isles, Rattle N Roll over British Isles, Rattle N Roll, Stars and Stripes, Batten Down