Anne Marie Duff

KEENELAND SATURDAY

9.35 First Lady Stakes (Grade 1) 3yo+ 1 Mile (Turf)

A high class field of fillies sees Roca Rojo, Dickinson and Hawksmoor lock horns. Roca Rojo, now with Chad Brown, began her career with Ado McGuinness and seeks her first Grade 1 win having gone close last year. Dickinson was second behind Lady Eli last time and a repeat might see her win this. Hawksmoor looked set for a good season when winning her first two race, including a Grade 2 here, but disappointed last time.

SELECTION: Dickinson

Next Best: Roco Rojo

10.10 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Grade 1) 2yo 1 1/16 Miles

Givemeaminit and Free Drop Billy top a full field of two-year-olds where nothing stands out but Godolphin’s Enticed once raced winner could take it if lining up here.

10.45 Shadwell Turf Mile (Grade 1) 3yo+ 1 Mile

Divisidero, Heart To Heart and Miss Temple City bid to hold off a European challenge of David O’Meara with Mondaliste and Suedois.

The last named got reward for consistent runs when winning a Group 2 on Irish Champions Day, while Mondaliste has two Grade 1s in North America to his name.

Miss Temple City took this last year and should go close again as she holds her form well .

Divisidero, a five-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, overcame a slow pace to win the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby day but has been unplaced in his past two starts. American Patriot won the Grade 1 Maker’s Mile on a firm track here in April for Todd Pletcher, beating Heart To Heart.

SELECTION: Divisidero

Next Best: Miss Temple City

BELMONT SATURDAY

9.13 Champagne Stakes (Grade 1) 2yo 1 Mile

With Bolt D’Oro outstanding on the west coast the Champagne should throw up an east coast leader and Good Magic is favourite.

Good Magic, a $1 million purchase out of last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale by bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, is a Chad Brown-trained son of Curlin. Todd Pletcher’s Hazit, a son of War Front part owned by the Magnier/Smith/Tabor alliance, is the second favourite off his maiden win at Saratoga. Firenze Fire is the field’s only graded stakes winner and captured the Sanford Stakes in July at Saratoga. He finished fourth in the Hopeful.

Godolphin’s Enticed showed grit rallying from fifth to break his maiden in Saratoga.

SELECTION: Hazit

Next Best: Firenze Fire

10.33 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (Grade 1) 3yo+ 1 1/4 Miles

The consistent Keen Ice, the only horse to beat American Pharoah in his three-year-old season, heads this Belmont Grade 1 ahead of Diversify, Pavel and Rally Cry.

For more than three years, Keen Ice has plied his trade across the country and in Dubai, his 23 starts taking in 11 different tracks. Keen Ice won the Grade 2 Suburban and finished second in the Grade 1 Whitney last time and his form should see him land this. Bill Mott’s Good Samaritan disappointed in the Travers after beating some of the season’s top three-year-olds in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga and could also be worth a wager in a field that lacks a star. Destin and Diversity step up in class although the former was just beaten in last year’s Belmont. Reddam Racing’s Pavel looks to have made more progress off a Parx Grade 3 win.

SELECTION: Keen Ice

Next Best: Pavel

KEENELAND SUNDAY

10.45 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (Grade 1) 3yo+ 1 1/8 Miles

Lockdown will take on her elders for the first time when she headlines a field of 13 fillies and mares for the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster.

Trained by two-time Juddmonte Spinster winner Bill Mott, Lockdown has raced at the top level all year and comes off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx. Lockdown finished third in the Kentucky Oaks and was runner-up in the Gazelle and Mother Goose.

Chief rivals to Lockdown include Bar Of Gold and the first four from last month’s Locust Grove at Churchill Downs: Romantic Vision, Blue Prize, Tiger Moth and Mo d’Amour. Blue Prize, a Group 1 winner in South America, never has been worse than second in eight starts.

SELECTION: Lockdown

Next Best: Blue Prize

BELMONT SUNDAY

9.13 Frizette Stakes (Grade 1) 2yo+ 1 Mile

A talented field of 10 juvenile fillies will each look to earn their first graded stakes victory. Todd Pletcher saddles Critique, who broke her maiden with a 16-length victory early last month at Saratoga, and she could be the east coast star.

9.46 Flower Bowl Stakes (Grade 1) (Turf)

Zhukova faces a tough field in her search for another US Grade 1 with Juddmonte’s Grand Jete and Chad Brown’s Grade 1 winner Dacita likely to prove difficult to beat. Grand Jete has three 2017 wins to her name but Dacita beat her in the Grade 1 Beverley D last time out. Pat Smullen travels to take the mount on Zhukova who disappointed when only eighth in the Irish Champion Stakes. She won the Man O’War on a soft surface in May and should be able to race prominently but might find Dacita too strong.

SELECTION: Dacita

Next Best: Zhukova