Keeneland Select Pick of the Day | January 29, 2022

Race 8 at Gulfstream Park | Saturday January 29 | Post Time 3:03 PM Eastern

Inside Information Stakes | Purse $200,000 | Seven Furlongs | Fillies and Mares, Four Years Old and Upward

Just One Time (8) is four for five in her career and in each of her four wins she never gave another horse a chance to beat her in the final eighth of a mile. She’s been rested since October when winning a stakes with a $122K purse and she’s now in the top hands of Brad Cox, with Rosario riding and with a steady series of workouts at Cox’ home base for the winter at Fair Grounds. Her last four workouts all share the same distance as stable star Knicks Go, who will be running in the Pegasus World Cup (race 12) on the card, and in two of those workouts Just One Time ran as fast, or faster, than Knicks Go. Based on that I’d say she’s in tip-top shape and as a newly turned four year old Just One Time could run a new career best effort to win this race.

A G Indy (2) is the other top win contender, although her career record of 4-4-2 in 13 races doesn’t compared to the 4-0-0 record in five races which Just One Time has put forth to date. Still, like Just One Time, A G Indy changes trainers since her last start, also last fall, and is now in the Todd Pletcher barn. Leading jockey Luis Saez rides and the work tab locally at Palm Beach Downs is very good. Except for her career debut way back in September of 2019, A G Indy has never raced on dirt, but her works on the surface and her breeding suggest that will not be a problem and there is no way I’d second guess Todd Pletcher because he’s in the Hall-of-Fame. Additionally, this mare was privately purchased since her last start, which was a win in a $200K stakes race. She’s got the right style to do well as she can rally from as far back as fourth and considering Family Time (1) and Dance d’Oro (3) have earned ALL seven of their combined wins leading from start to finish, stalkers like A G Indy and Just One Time should be the ones to beat.

Four Graces (5), Pacific Gale (6) and Jakarta (7) can be used in second on exacta tickets. Four Graces had a fantastic campaign as a three year old in 2020 winning four races including two stakes. She came back from eight months off last June and finished fourth then took another six months off and was second, beaten a nose, in an allowance race over the track on January 6. Pacific Gale won this race last year off a third place stakes effort in New York six weeks earlier. This time she comes back from a three and one-half month layoff and off a fifth place effort and she’s a seven year old now but she still seems to have a lot of heart. Jakarta ran the best race of her career last month at this distance in a 100K stakes race at Parx, her first on dirt after 13 races on turf and all-weather and her first after moving to the Trombetta barn. Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides her and although in eight of her nine wins she’s led from start to finish she did rate kindly to win a stakes race at the end of 2020 and Ortiz may be able to use stalking tactics from the outside in this situation.

Win bets: I will consider a strong win bet on Just One Time (8) at odds of 9 to 5 of more. I will consider a win bet for a slightly smaller amount on A G Indy (2) at odds of 2 to 1 or higher.

Exactas:

A G Indy (2) and Just One Time (8) over A G Indy (2), Four Graces (5), Pacific Gale (6), Jakarta (7) and Just One Time (8).

Box A G Indy (2) and Just One Time (8)