Keeneland Select Pick of the Day | September 19, 2020

Race 7 at Woodbine | Saturday September 19 | Post Time 4:27 PM Eastern

Singspiel Stakes | Purse $125,000 | One Mile and One-Quarter on Turf | Three Year Olds and Upward

Jungle Fighter (10), who opens at 12/1, can post the upset in this year’s Singspiel Stakes. The lightly raced (nine career starts) four year old has done little wrong except on two occasions. The first was in his debut in the summer of 2018 when running two-turns first time out, which is a very tough question to ask a two year old. He finished fifth in that race, the same position he finished in in July of this year, when AGAIN being asked to run two-turns off a 10 month layoff, also very difficult to do, particularly as the comeback came in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup. However, that does show how well-regarded he is by his trainer. For his second start of 2020, Jungle Fighter was moved to turf and blinkers were added, resulting in a much improved second place effort. He should run even better third off the layoff and particularly stretching out to 10 furlongs, because the only time he ran at the distance previously, last August (2019), Jungle Fighter lost by a head on the wire and earned a career best 108 Equibase Speed Figure. To put that in perspective, when Tiz a Slam (6) won this race last year he earned a 99 figure, and his best winning figure, 112, was earned winning the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes last July. Tiz a Slam’s two races this year have been very poor and I don’t expect a turnaround, while I do expect Jungle Fighter to move forward in his second start in blinkers, third off the year, and run a big race.

Say the Word (1) is another contender opening at odds (10/1) which are much higher than they should be in my opinion based on probability. To date his best finish in a stakes was when third in the 2019 King Edward (at a mile on grass) but that effort earned a 108 figure. He won right before that in May, 2018, and hadn’t won in nine races until, on August 14, Say the Word took blinkers off and stretched out to 1 3/16 miles and won by a head at Saratoga, at odds of 50 to 1. That effort earned a 108 figure so in my opinion he’s back in top form and has every right to be considered a contender for all the marbles here.

Skywire (5) opens as the second choice on the morning line at 7/2 and is a legitimate contender, not just because he has a 3-2-0 record in seven career starts on grass but because his most recent efforts were the best two of his career. His first two starts as a four year old, in March and June, resulted in fourth place efforts but two back he won the Eclipse Stakes (on the main track) with a 96 figure, before improving markedly to 106 when second of eight in the Seagram Cup. Skywire has only run this far once, when 11^th of 14 in the 2019 Queen’s Plate but I think he has the breeding to succeed and he’s a different horse now compared to last year. Hernandez has only ridden him three times – to his debut win and in those last two races, so I think we can expect another “A” effort good enough to win.

Admiralty Pier (3) must get honorable mention. He’s also entered in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (race 9) and my feeling is trainer Minshall will opt for that race as he’s never run this far but you never know. If Admiralty Pier decides to go here he could be the controlling speed and since he’s coming off big runner-up efforts in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup (103 figure) and Grade 2 King Edward Stakes (Grade 2 he fits on all counts on class and form.

Betting Strategies-

Win: Bet BOTH Jungle Fighter (10) and Say the Word (1) to win at odds of 5 to 2 or more.

Exactas and Trifectas:

Box Jungle Fighter (10), Say the Word (1) and Skywire (5).

“IF” Admiralty Pier should run, box Jungle Fighter (10), Say the Word (1), Admiralty Pier (3) and Skywire (5).