Pick 3 of the Week: Keeneland Friday, April 24

The spring meeting at Keeneland will come to an end on Friday, and I feel that tabbing the final trio of contests on the card for the Pick 3 of the Week will be a fitting conclusion to the fantastic racing in Lexington. 

Race 8 Wager

• $1 Pick 3: 1,7 with 5,8,10 with 4,6,11,12 ($24)

Race 8 – Bewitch (G3)

Nine fillies and mares will run 1 1/2 miles on the grass in the closing-day feature. #1 Way to Be Marie (8-1), a $750,000 November purchase, was a game winner in the Benson Memorial S. at Fair Grounds in her seasonal bow and will appreciate the added ground in this spot. She’s good value in her second for Eddie Kenneally. 

#7 Just Basking (9-2) has improved since moving to extended distances on the sod for Ian Wilkes and could be the one in her initial run on this course. The Arrogate mare will be doing her best work in the lane beneath Javier Castellano. 

Race 9 – Maiden Special Weight

A six-furlong dash for sophomores is the middle leg, with 11 signed on for the heat. This is a tough handicapping puzzle, and I will use a trio of runners, led by Mike Maker’s #5 Mumdoggie (3-1). The Tiz the Law colt flashed good speed from a pair of sprint runs as a juvenile, and the $200,000 yearling buy ran a winning race in defeat off the shelf at Oaklawn Park last time out, as well. Tyler Gaffalione will ride. 

#8 Gun Range (6-1) is bred to win early, he’s working well, and the son of Gun Runner will go for an excellent debut trainer Wesley Ward, too. He’s a logical inclusion. Second timer #10 McCann (8-1) was heavily backed in a turf dash on debut at this venue and is interesting with the move to the main oval combined with the addition of blinkers. Prat retains the mount atop the win threat.  

Race 10 – Allowance

A nine-furlong allowance race on the grass for fillies and mares will cap the meet with a full field set to go postward. Joe Sharp’s #4 Awesomesauce (15-1) will not go off at her morning-line price and is very logical in the affair. The Union Rags four-year-old comes off a pair of open-length tallies at Fair Grounds and keeps Jose Ortiz in the irons. 

Twice Grade-2 placed filly #6 Pretty Picture (2-1) might be a bit overbet, but the Chad Brown pupil has never run a bad one and makes a lot of sense while making her four-year-old debut. #11 Massarat (5-1) won her last two races in 2025 and comes in fresh for the always dangerous Brendan Walsh. And Group 1 heroine #12 Sarawak Rim (20-1) will run on the weeds for the initial time for the red-hot Rusty Arnold, and she is bred to love the lawn. Luis Saez will guide the live longshot.