Daily Racing Form expert handicapper and analyst Marcus Hersh handicaps the Sunday, April 12 racing card at Keeneland, including his projected 1-2-3 finishers. His best bet of the day comes from Race 1.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
BEST BET: Use Me (1st race)
First Race
1. Use Me
2. Eat Hay Run
3. Isadora Duncan
USE ME at 5-1? Can’t see it, but sure would take it. Love the way this filly moves – she’s so fluid, has a turn of foot, big stride. Wire to wire winner in her debut; meanwhile, she’s stuck at the back, nowhere to run until upper stretch, slips through a small gap, gets her feet under her, finished with a whoosh. Very favorable workout video since race. I prefer her to the B Walsh-trained stablemate EAT HAY RUN, though EHR did nothing wrong in her lone start. She did get a much better trip than Use Me, but also ran into a winner who came right back to land a stakes race. “They” say that the Dubawis get better with age, and at 2, ISADORA DUNCAN didn’t seem to quite have it all together. She does have a kick, and she does have upside.
Here are Marcus’ thoughts on the other eight races on Sunday’s Keeneland card.
Second Race
1. Senior Officer
2. Sargent Sully
3. Bring the Smoke
Three obvious ones in this short field, and afraid I’ve landed on the shortest price of all in SENIOR OFFICER. 5yo with but three starts – so, there’s that. But he was fast before the long layoff, still fast after it. In the OP comeback run, he split a winner who returned to win again at the next allowance class and a show horse who came back to win a first-level allowance, both with 90+ Beyers. Was not asked for much of anything working an easy half over a chewed-up racing surface April 4 at CD – which I don’t mind at all. Sitting on ready. SARGENT SULLY nearly cleared the maiden ranks in March 2025 at FG and, interestingly, was shipped back to NOLA from Florida to easily win a maiden returning from a long layoff. Has not shown, to me, at least, quite the talent of the top pick. Hard to know what to make of BRING THE SMOKE, a private purchase after a second-start Laurel maiden win by a pole. Just three others in that field and, the massive margin of victory notwithstanding, the horse wasn’t especially “impressive.”
Third Race
1. Sweet Surrender
2. Sy B
3. Vronti
Who knows what turned things around for SWEET SURRENDER last May at Woodbine, but she was very good there, nearly overcoming a wide draw, and was even better back from a long layoff last out at TP. Didn’t merely romp easily away from seven foes in that maiden win, she did so after getting bottled up – twice steadied – down the backstretch and into the turn. Sure has the look of a filly who can get this 9f trip. Don’t at all mind the post-TP work video, either. Doubt she’s as high as 15-1. SY B off from June to February, ran in her comeback like a horse who “needed” a race – and why not give it to her for $55K at FG and then move forward for $120K at KEE? Has kept some serious company, even during a very limited 2025 campaign, running into subsequent multiple turf stakes winner Destino d’Oro at CD. She’s an English Channel, which could mean two things – she stays, and she’s just hitting her prime at age 5. VRONTI light in the Beyers, but, based on her good run over 10f before being exported from England, she might be getting out to a better distance here. Probably still a decent amount of upside.
Fourth Race
1. Mountain Grandeur
2. Tregetour
3. Flash of Chaos
Three starts, two no-shows for MOUNTAIN GRANDEUR – but it’s the middle race, the one in which he did any running at all, that points him out as a possibility in what, on paper, appears to be a wildly competitive race. There, he was a very decent third of 11 racing for a claiming tag $20K higher than this one. Have no problem just pitching the turf flop last time. As mentioned many times before in this space, don’t just disregard horses from this barn who have light workout patterns. Couple work videos for TREGETOUR are—inconclusive. Not bad, though, and he’s back for the same claiming price paid when last seen over the winter at TP. Have to think this spot has long been the goal. Barn had a sharp winner Thursday. FLASH OF CHAOS looks from here like he could wind up a defined favorite. Class drop, very competitive figures, but he’s got a wide draw and never hits the line with much spark.
Fifth Race
1. Lady Sybil
2. How About Now
3. Core Memories
Went scattershot looking at races on this card and was watching work video from Race 8, looking specifically at a first-timer named Symbol. Watched Symbol work in company from the gate on March 31 and came away making sure to keep an eye out for the horse he’d worked with, because that horse had worked very, very well. That’s LADY SYBIL, and here she comes lining up for her debut in a turf route. Not a lot to fear in this race – give the firster a look. HOW ABOUT NOW lost a couple lengths at the start making her turf debut last out, finished decently, and stands a grand chance of improving in second grass run. Been working (just all right, but she’s a turf horse on dirt) in the blinkers she wears for the first time in a race. CORE MEMORIES is going to make a run but leaves herself too much to do, and, four races in, is fairly well exposed.
Sixth Race
1. Take Charge Omaha
2. Landed
3. Gowells Delight
TAKE CHARGE OMAHA something of a revelation after the $50K claim last summer. She’s a true 1 1/8-mile horse, though one lacking speed who benefits from a strong pace in front of her – and has found exactly that kind of race. Positive vibes from the recent work video, as well. Not sure how well LANDED stays 9f under the best of circumstances, and on paper she’s drawn inside at least one serious pace rival, Pahoehoe d’Oro, and a couple others who want to stay close. Don’t love GOWELLS DELIGHT going out to 1 1/8 miles, and she has zero upside, but hey, she’s already “fast enough” to contend and only needs to beat three to get third.
Seventh Race
1. Shining Star
2. Saratoga Special
3. Saturday Flirt
Nothing but impressed with everything SHINING STAR has done since moving to the Cox barn last year and being refashioned as a turf sprinter. She has a ton of speed, also rates, and can produce a turn of foot. I don’t see her regressing from the impressive FG stakes score – though first, she needs to draw into this field. While SS needs only one scratch, SARATOGA SPECIAL needs several to draw in. Just missed running down Gratefully while making her N American debut, and looks to me like a filly who can improve off that showing – though a wide post if drawing in could compromise her. SATURDAY FLIRT’s only defeat in five races came at Royal Ascot, and she’s 2-2 over the course – and yet I struggle to see her handling Shining Star.
Eighth Race
1. Mo the Merrier
2. Civil Liberty
3. Iconoclast
Beyer figure didn’t come back like much from R7 on 3/21 at FG, but know that connections were really high on the eye-catching last-to-first winner, and MO THE MERRIER had almost two lengths on the third horse in a spread-out field. Came with quite a fast final furlong and has the look of both a second-start improver and a horse who will relish an added furlong here. Will have to get past likely odds-on favorite CIVIL LIBERTY, nailed on the wire last out by Crude Velocity, who’s bound for the Pat Day Mile and has a lot of talent. The American Pharoah last summer showed he’s a one-turn horse – at least for now. Got too much of a hot pace last time and get a more patient, clean stalking trip from this draw. Can’t glean much from firster ICONOCLAST’s lone work on video but got in plenty of breezing over the winter at FG preparing for this.
Ninth Race
1. Capitol Hill
2. Clever Mischief
3. Tenacious Leader
CAPITOL HILL during an active 2025 campaign ran some good races, showed signs of being capable of running even bigger races – and from the look of Payson work video stands poised to take a step forward in his 4yo bow. Like him going out to 9f, even fresh off the bench. Beautiful, powerful animal from the look of things. First start since being gelded for CLEVER MISCHIEF, who missed most of 2025 and ended his last form cycle with a dud. This is another horse whose breeze video really caught my eye. TENACIOUS LEADER will get first run on many of these though risks a ground-losing first turn from post 10. Two good ones over the course last fall. Both he and Pitkin were scratched from the G1 Makers Mark Mile on Friday.
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