Dec. 19 spot plays for Fair Grounds and Turfway Park

Picks and plays on a $60 budget for the Saturday cards at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park, highlighted by enticing renewals of the $75,000 Sugar Bowl S. and the $75,000 Tenacious S.

Fair Grounds

Race 6: Sugar Bowl S. (6 furlongs on dirt, 3:27 p.m. ET)

With Brisnet Speed ratings of 92 and 95, #2 Quick Tempo (5-2) is the fastest horse on paper in this field. The speedy frontrunner most recently battled to a runner-up effort in the 6 1/2-furlong Nyquist S. at Keeneland, a race in which he lived up to his name and posted fast fractions of :21.73 and :44.65.

But victory isn’t a certainty for Quick Tempo — not with #5 Gagetown (3-1) in the mix. A half-brother to Grade 1 winner Include Betty, Gagetown showed talent in his debut at Churchill Downs last month, where he rallied to win a 6-furlong sprint by two lengths. Trainer Brad Cox strikes at a 26% rate with second-time starters, so don’t be surprised if Gagetown takes a step forward in the Sugar Bowl.

Let’s take a shot betting Gagetown on top in the exacta and trifecta.

$5 exacta: 5 with 2,6 ($10)
$5 trifecta: 5 with 2,6 with 2,6 ($10)
Total: $20

Race 7: Tenacious S. (1 1/16 miles on dirt, 6:50 p.m. ET)

#6 Maxfield (8-5) might be a delicate colt, but he is an elite racehorse, with three victories from as many starts. Victorious against quality competition in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) and Matt Winn (G3), Maxfield has been training sharply for his return from a 7-month layoff and should fire a big shot for trainer Brendan Walsh.

The only concern is that Maxfield is a deep closer in a race with very little pace on paper. A slow early tempo could lend an advantage to the improving #5 Sonneman (3-1), who romped by 5 3/4 lengths in a 1 1/16-mile allowance at Churchill Downs last month. The Steve Asmussen trainee isn’t quite as fast as the favorite, in terms of Brisnet Speed ratings, but one more step forward — coupled with a favorable trip near the front end — could help Sonneman spring an upset.

Let’s box Maxfield and Sonneman in the exacta and favor the lower-paying combination, with Maxfield on top.

$12 exacta: 6 with 5
$8 exacta: 5 with 6
Total: $20

Turfway Park

Race 7: Allowance/optional claiming (6 1/2 furlongs on Tapeta, 9:14 p.m. ET)

Turfway’s leading trainer, Wesley Ward, will saddle #2 Four Wheel Drive (5-2), the most accomplished runner in the field by virtue of frontrunning triumph in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G2).

But the son of American Pharoah has only run once since, when he finished seventh in a May 17 allowance sprint at Churchill Downs.

Can Four Wheel Drive rebound off a layoff, without blinkers and a transition to Tapeta?

If Four Wheel Drive falters, look for #9 Kingly (3-1) to steal the show. The winner of the 2019 La Holla H. (G3) on grass, Kingly hasn’t missed the trifecta in four starts on Tapeta, where he recently finished second in a 7-furlong allowance at Woodbine. The winner, Ride a Comet, came right back to score victory in the Kennedy Road (G2).

Let’s bet Kingly to win, then box him in the exacta with Four Wheel Drive.

$12 to win on #9 Kingly
$2 exacta: 9 with 2
$6 exacta: 2 with 9
Total: $20

Good luck!