Keeneland Select Pick of the Day | December 26, 2021

Race 11 at Santa Anita | Sunday December 26 | Post Time 7 PM Eastern

American Oaks Stakes – Grade 1 | Purse $300,000 | One Mile and One Quarter on Turf | Fillies, Three Years Old

Excellent trainer Phil D’ Amato has two strong entrants in this race in Going Global (5) and Burgoo Alley (7). Going Global might be going for her ninth straight stakes win if not for a half-length loss this past July in the San Clemente Stakes at Del Mar, as she has won every other race going back to November, 2020. The biggest of those wins came in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks in August. Additionally, Going Global beat older fillies and mares for the first time last month in the Goldikova Stakes and faces only three year olds in this race. However, like many fillies in this field, Going Global is running 10 furlongs for the first time. That might be her only knock, as she’s four-for-four on the Santa Anita turf and jockey Flavien Prat (who rides today) has been aboard for all seven of her U.S. starts since importing from Ireland 13 months ago.

Still, if you look at the record of Burgoo Alley (7), you might agree she could be as good as her stablemate. Like Going Global, Burgoo Alley imported from Ireland. She did that in February while still a maiden as compared to Going Global, who had one win before coming to the states. She won her second local start, in a sprint in June then stretched out on turf for the first time in July. Her three turf route efforts, including that first one, have been exceptional, with her most recent race her best yet. In the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at the end of October, Burgoo Alley bided her time in fourth for the first six furlongs, then came off the rail into the three path, leveled her stride and closed ferociously. That could turn out to be a key (productive) race because although the second or third finishers haven’t run yet, the fourth and fifth finishers both improved markedly to win their next starts. Jockey Umberto Rispoli has been the only jockey this filly has ever known and chooses her to ride over Closing Remarks (3), who he rode to a runner-up effort (behind Going Global) in the Del Mar Oaks. Rispoli also rode Nicest (4) to a near win when beaten a half-length in the Red Carpet Stakes last month yet chooses Burgoo Alley. When looking at trainer D’Amato’s excellent record winning stakes over the last two years, the jockeys aboard have been either Prat or Rispoli, so with it being likely Burgoo Alley will go to post at higher odds than Going Global, she will be the one I’ll look to first when considering who to bet to win on in this race.

Another contender to win this race is Single Soul (11), one of three from the barn of trainer Mike McCarthy, the other two being Nicest (4) and Queen Goddess (9). Single Soul ran in a stakes for the first time in the Red Carpet Stakes last month. Although last of five, I think she got a lot out of that race as it was her first outside of New York. The cut back from 11 furlongs to this 10 furlong trip may help her as Single Soul is the ONLY horse in the field to have won at this distance. Getting a jockey change to Jose Ortiz, Single Soul could run a lot better in her second local start and could run very well at decent odds.

Win bets:

Burgoo Alley (7) at odds of 3 to 1 or more.

Exactas:

Box Burgoo Alley (7), Going Global (5) and Single Soul (11).

Burgoo Alley (7) and Going Global (5) over All.

Burgoo Alley (7), Going Global (5) and Single Soul (11) over All