Fair odds: Sharp pair looks tough in Dowager at Keeneland

I am one of the few people who generally prefers coupled entries. It takes the guessing game out of trainer intent. While you have to take a suppressed price on the half of the entry you like, if you like both parts of the entry, then you actually stand to get a little bit of value.

That is on display in the Grade 3 Dowager Stakes on Sunday at Keeneland, where trainer Joe Sharp is expected to saddle Vive Veuve and Miwa for different owners in the 1 1/2-mile turf test. The race concludes the $3 all-turf Pick 3 which begins with race 4 and continues with race 6.

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Both Sharp trainees exit stakes at Kentucky Downs with Vive Veuve stretching farther from her last, the 1-mile-and-70-yard One Dreamer Stakes. She pressed the pace at 7-5 that day before fading late. Irad Ortiz Jr. is back aboard today. He won on her two back when riding her for the first time, which puts the Frank Angst jockey angle in play. It is so named, because BloodHorse editor Angst identified a wagering opportunity decades ago when a jockey rides back a horse he rode well on turf previously.

Miwa was an impressive winner of an allowance two starts ago before wheeling back at Kentucky Downs to try stakes company and running behind Stellify. Her target this time might very well be her uncoupled stablemate. 

From a wagering perspective, I’m not sure if either Sharp trainee will offer value in the win pool. I do like the idea of leaning on only them in the multi-race wagers, especially that aforementioned all-turf Pick 3. This feels like the type of race people will spread, so just using two is a narrow opportunity.

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