Keeneland Select Pick of the Day | August 22, 2020

Race 9 at Saratoga | Saturday August 22 | Post Time 5:46 PM Eastern

Fourstardave Handicap | Purse $400,000 | One Mile on Turf | Three Year Olds and Upward

Uni (6) is ready to resume her grade 1 winning ways in her second start back from nearly seven months off at the end of June. Although disappointing as the favorite in the Grade 1 Just a Game Stakes, she just wasn’t 100% fit following the rest. Although she did win her 2019 comeback at the end of June following a similar layoff, before finishing third as the 9 to 5 favorite in last year’s Fourstardave, Uni became a much better horse at the end of her campaign, winning the Grade 1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland with a then career-best 120 Equibase Speed Figure, then duplicating that effort and figure (although 121) winning the Breeders’ Cup Mile against males. In those two races, Uni ran the last quarter mile in a sizzling 22.4 seconds, rallying from 11^th and 10^th, respectively. Although Rosario, who has ridden her in her last seven races, moves to Raging Bull (1), there’s absolutely no issue with Jose Ortiz getting on as he is battling nose-and-nose with his brother Irad Ortiz, Jr. for the riding title at the meeting. Chad Brown has four horses in this race, including Raging Bull, Valid Point and Without Parole, but except for Raging Bull, none are even close to having the resume Uni has at this mile trip where she’s won seven of nine including three grade 1 stakes.

Raging Bull (1) may be next best to his stablemate in this year’s Fourstardave Handicap He finished second in last year’s race to Got Stormy (4), who is well off her form of last year. Two races later, Raging Bull won the Shoemaker Mile with a 114 figure, the same as he earned before that when fourth and impeded in the stretch (moved up to third through a disqualification) in the Woodbine Mile and the same as he earned after that when third and beaten a nose and a neck in the Maker’s Mark Mile last month at Keeneland. In last year’s Fourstardave Raging Bull earned a 116 figure so he’s been running very consistently but has never earned 120 or 121 figures in a mile race as Uni has.

For the minor awards and to be used on exacta and trifecta tickets, Emmaus (3) and Without Parole (8) are the horses to use. Emmaus was fifth in the Maker’s Mark Mile but was only beaten a half-length for third by Raging Bull, who in turn was just a nose and neck from the winner. His record of 0-0-0 in six races at a mile on grass is a bit of a concern, but he showed enough in that last race to be considered as a horse to be in the money in this race. Without Parole, rallied four fourth in the Maker’s Mark Mile a neck in front of Emmaus on the wire. He’s not won in four starts in the U.S. but in 2018 he won the important Group 1 St. James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot as the two-to-one favorite in a 10 horse field. He hasn’t gotten back to that kind of grade 1 form but he is definitely a miler (three-for-nine overall) and could be in the top three today.

Betting Strategies-

Win: Bet Uni (6) to win at even money or higher. (This is known as a low odds overlay).

Consider a win bet on Raging Bull (1) at odds of 5 to 2 or higher.

Exactas:

Uni (6) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3) and Without Parole (8)

Raging Bull (1) and Uni (6) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3), Uni (6) and Without Parole (8)

Trifectas:

Uni (6) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3) and Without Parole (8) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3) and Without Parole (8)

Raging Bull (1) and Uni (6) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3), Uni (6) and Without Parole (8) over Raging Bull (1), Emmaus (3), Uni (6) and Without Parole (8)