Longshot of the Day: Race 9 at Keeneland
Track: Keeneland
Race 9: $120K allowance going 7 furlongs on dirt for 3+
Post Time: 5:16 PM ET
Horse: #1 Be You (10/1) use as a win by at 8/1 or higher
How a horse responds in their first race back from a long layoff can be a big question mark, but also open the opportunity for value, which is the case with Be You. The Todd Pletcher trainee sired by Curlin has always been well regarded and generated considerable buzz prior to his debut in August 2023 where he lost by a nose to future stakes winner Just Steel. Also featured in that maiden race were eventual Grade 1 winners Locked and Domestic Product. One might consider that a productive race. As for Be You, Pletcher immediately stepped him up to the Hopeful (G1) and then the American Pharoah (G1) after that debut effort despite still being a maiden. The horse acquitted itself fine but never did better than third. Pletcher dropped the horse back against the maiden ranks, but he kept running into tough competition as he lost to the likes of Nash, Resilience, Conquest Warrior, and Antiquarian, the latter of whom is another Grade 1 winner. Eventually, he broke his maiden in March 2024 at Gulfstream Park, going seven furlongs in a race that featured another future Grade 1 winner, Howard Wolowitz, as well as Grade 2-placed Jefferson Street. Again, Pletcher stepped the horse up against Grade 1 competition in the Blue Grass (G1) and the Woody Stephens (G1), but he was no match for either field. He has been on the bench for 16 months and is returning to the track in a spot that makes sense. He would appear to run better with Lasix, and his lone victory comes at today’s seven-furlong distance. Plus, he is a recent gelding, which might have helped with his demeanor and fitness. The horse has been working well for Pletcher coming back from the lengthy layoff for a trainer who has won 63% of his entries at Keeneland to this point. He picks up John Velazquez on the mount today and will need to show some better early speed than he has done in the past. Breaking from the inside post should make early speed imperative and Velazquez is as good as anyone at getting that out of a horse. Be You is a talented horse who had high expectations. He might not have met those, but at 10/1 he is an intriguing option in a competitive allowance race.