Keeneland – 7th race – 1-Munjaz-GB (9/2)
Been away for more than a year but has shown the ability to fire fresh and seems primed for a major effort for a barn that boasts superior stats with layoff runners. The lightly-raced son of Sea the Stars won his U.S. debut back in December of 2014 but was beaten in his next start and disappeared; today he returns in a winnable spot with a work tab that should have him fit and ready. The McLaughlin-trained horse lands the rail, should enjoy a cozy mid-pack, ground-saving trip, and is good enough to win with his best effort. There’s solid value here at 9/2 on the morning line both in the straight pool and in rolling exotic play.
Keeneland – 9th race – 10-Prince Gagarin-IR (12-1)
We’ll take a bit of a flyer here with an ex-class colt making his U.S. debut. The Michael Matz-trained Irish-bred was a stakes winner as a juvenile but was non-competitive last year; today he’ll race with Lasix for the first time, gets Leparoux, and sports a solid if unspectacular series of workouts. At 12-1 on the morning line he’s worth a gamble in this second level allowance race while facing a field he’s good enough to beat if he can regain his best form.
