Steve Sherack and Brian DiDonato give their best bet for each day of racing during the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. $100 Win/Place format; highest bankroll at the end wins.
Steve Sherack: Race 2 – Don't think we'll see anything near the 20-1 morning-line quote, but Gamble's Orb can certainly run this field off their heels at a price in her grass debut. She flashed big speed in her first two goes in the Gulfstream slop, dueling and finishing a close second June 25, then dueling and tiring to a well-beaten third July 23. Her dam Forest Gamble (Forest Wildcat) was a razor sharp winner in her lone career start over the Woodbine synthetic, and she has produced a pair of stakes winners over that surface as well. Orb, sire of P. G. Johnson S. winner Orbolution, is certainly capable of siring a turf runner and Gamble's Orb blew out three furlongs over the Palm Meadows turf in :34 3/5 (1/4) Aug. 24. Trainer Joe Orseno shipped in from his South Florida base to capture last year's GIII Runhappy Turf Sprint S. with Imprimis. Selection: #2 Gamble's Orb (20-1).
Brian DiDonato: Race 6 – The 2-year-old maiden races are some of the most interesting and typically wide-open events at Kentucky Downs, and there were several babies who caught my eye on this opening day card. I'll make Go Bali Go my play. He ran a sneaky good race first out after getting squeezed out at the start and making a middle move behind a very slow pace. The fifth-place run when switching to the dirt can be excused–he dueled through a pace rated fast that day on a surface he probably doesn't prefer. His dam was dramatically better on grass and her other progeny have leaned that way too. Freshman sire Bal a Bali was also a turf horse, and his early runners have seemed turfy for the most part as well. I'm hoping for a bit better than the 8-1 morning line, and think Go Bali Go has a solid shot to put it all together this time around. Selection: #4 Go Bali Go (8-1).
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