Race 8 at Keeneland | Saturday April 22 | Post Time 4:44 PM Eastern

Elkhorn Stakes – Grade 2 | Purse $350,000 | One Mile and One Half on Turf | Four Years Old and Upward

Win contenders:

Trainer Mike Maker has become well-known the past few years for winning these kinds of long turf races, and he brings two horses into this year’s Elkhorn Stakes which can add to his success. We’ll start with Value Engineering (2), who had only run one mile and three-eighths or more one time in 15 starts before he joined the Maker barn this past December via a private sale to current owner Michael Hui. In his first start for Maker last December, Value Engineering won the one mile and five-eighths H. Allen Jerkens Handicap easily in a field of nine. That race was scheduled to be run on turf but was run on the all-weather track at Gulfstream Park, but the horse got his chance to run on turf one month later in the William L. McKnight Stakes, where he made a visually impressive mid-race rally from seventh to lead in the middle of the race, only to be run down late by his stablemate Red Knight (5), settling for second in the end by a length. A different outcome awaited Value Engineering last month in the Mac Diarmida Stakes, which he won fairly easily in a field of 12. Both of his recent efforts earned very strong, and very consistent 112 Equibase Speed Figures and a repeat of either gives this seven year old a big shot at winning his second straight graded stakes.

Red Knight (5) has a similar story to Value Engineering as he had raced 27 times, winning eight of those races, before joining the Maker barn last July. He immediately won the Colonial Cup Stakes at the same mile and one-half distance of the Elkhorn, earning a 108 figure in the process. In his next start, last September in the $1 million Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes, Red Knight proved resilient when battling head and head for the last eighth of a mile to win by a nose in the end, bettering his effort to a then career-best 112 figure. After a much better-than-looked effort in the Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland when eighth but beaten just over one length for the win, Red Knight found the competition in the Breeders’ Cup Turf much too tough and checked in 11^th. Given nearly three months off, Red Knight returned to top form with a new best 113 figure when winning the William L. McKnight Stakes, beating stablemate Value Engineering by a length. Having now won three of five since joining the Maker barn and with a win at Keeneland in the similar Sycamore Stakes back in 2020, Red Knight is just as probable to win as his stablemate Value Engineering and that’s why trainer Mike Maker appears to have a pair of aces coming into the race.

Honorable mention goes to another pair of horses possibly just a cut below the top two. Another Mystery (4) finished second in last year’s Elkhorn with a 112 figure competitive with the top pair and he nearly won the similar John B. Connally Stakes in January when leading late and settling for second by three-quarters of a length. Similarly, Verstappen (9) has run three very competitive races in a row, winning two and finishing second in the other. That runner-up effort earned him a career-best 109 figure when a couple of lengths shy of winning the Kentucky Cup Classic Stakes last month. As a horse who has only raced 11 times and a four year old with improving to do, Verstappen may be competitive in this situation.

For the trifecta we’ll add Highest Honors (8), who hasn’t won since February of 2022 but who was second in the similar Red Smith Stakes last fall and third in the fall equivalent of the Elkhorn at Keeneland which is the Sycamore Stakes.

Bets:

Win Bets:

Value Engineering (2) or Red Knight (5), whichever of the two horses are the highest odds near post time and those odds are 2 to 1 odds or higher.

Exactas:

Box Value Engineering (2) and Red Knight (5)

An additional exacta play is warranted as well, consisting of: Value Engineering (2) and Red Knight (5) over Value Engineering (2), Red Knight (5), Another Mystery (4) and Verstappen (9)

Trifectas:

Value Engineering (2) and Red Knight (5) over Value Engineering (2), Red Knight (5), Another Mystery (4) and Verstappen (9) over Value Engineering (2), Red Knight (5), Another Mystery (4), Verstappen (9) and Highest Honors (8).