Remsen Stakes fair odds: Who can get the 1 1/8-mile distance?

The Grade 2 Remsen Stakes presents a unique challenge among stakes races for two-year-olds on dirt, as it is the lone graded opportunity beyond 1 1/16 miles for juveniles.

Stretching obvious talent around one turn out to 1 1/8 miles is no gimme, but Keewaydin certainly looks poised to do so on Saturday at Aqueduct following a fast maiden win when stretching out to seven furlongs in career start number two.

One of the positives in Keewaydin's corner is his trainer Chad Brown, who finished second in this race last year with Sierra Leone and has shown an ability to stretch out these classic-type horses. Brown trains Keewaydin for OXO Equine, which bought the Instagrand colt as a weanling for $140,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton November breeding stock sale.

Based on Brisnet Pace Ratings, Keeywaydin can control this race early if jockey Dylan Davis chooses. He pressed the pace in the maiden win, but with the stretch out here gate-to-wire tactics would not surprise me. Fair odds are 3-5, so this is the type of horse I would only look to oppose if bettors went nuts at 1-5 or 2-5.

Studlydoright has faced a lot of trouble in his six-race career with "bobbled start," "hit gate," and "fanned six wide" all in his running lines. By Kentucky Derby-winning champion two-year-old male Nyquist and two-time horse of the year Curlin, this one figures to appreciate the stretch out as much as anyone.

A step forward after this long of a 2-year-old campaign is no gimme, of course, but price-wise if Keewaydin goes too low then I think Studlydoright ends up being the play. Either way, the exacta of Keewaydin and Studlydoright will be worth monitoring.