Expert Pick of the Week: 2024 Perryville Stakes
Oct 16, 2024
Book'em Danno wins the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs (Photo by SV Photography)
An overflow field of 14 sophomores is entered for Saturday’s $300,000 Perryville S. (G3) at Keeneland. The seven-furlong dash on the main oval marks the return of the excellent Book’em Danno for conditioner Derek Ryan. By Bucchero, the gelded three-year-old has compiled a fine 9-6-2-1 mark to this stage of his development, led by a tally in the Woody Stephens S. (G1) at Saratoga in June.
Book’em Danno, who was a head behind the ultra-talented Forever Young in the lucrative Saudi Derby (G3) earlier this campaign, was last seen finishing a clear third in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) at Saratoga behind a pair of very good ones, and the dark bay has trained well in the interim as well. He possesses a potent turn of foot at one turn, and if he runs to his sizzling gate drill at Monmouth two back, then the New Jersey-bred will be especially tough to upend in the dash. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the assignment.
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The Todd Pletcher-trained Locked was victorious in the 2023 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) on the surface prior to concluding his fine two-year-old season with a third-place result in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Santa Anita. The chestnut son of Gun Runner has worked steadily in preparation for his sophomore debut, and he has earned stout Brisnet Late Pace numbers in each lifetime run to date. He will be doing his best work inside the final furlong with regular pilot Jose Ortiz in the controls.
Godolphin homebred Knightsbridge has been untested from a pair of lifetime appearances to date and comes in fresh for conditioner Bill Mott. The son of hot sire Nyquist decimated his foes by 10 lengths in his debut offering at Churchill Downs in November that preceded a nine-length drubbing of allowance foes at Gulfstream Park in the spring. He is taking a hefty class rise on Saturday, but the colt will give a nice account of himself with regular pilot Junior Alvarado taking the reins once again.
Expert Pick
An exacta with #5 Book’em Danno on top of #10 Locked and #3 Knightsbridge in the 2024 Perryville Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.
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