This Friday’s live card of horse betting at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington is highlighted by the 2022 Maker’s Mark Mile. This Grade 1 stakes race covering a mile on the turf track at Keeneland is open to Thoroughbreds four and older.

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2022 Maker’s Mark Mile Picks

The total prize purse for this year’s race is set at $600,000 with a full field of 11 entries that is deep in talent. Working my way through the horses on the list along with their post positions, I have come up with my top three picks to finish in the money along with my “one to watch” at longer odds on the morning line.

When: Friday, April 15th 2022

Where: Keeneland Race Course

Horse Betting Guide

Win: Ivar

Trained by Paulo Lobo and ridden by jockey Joe Talamo, this six-year old horse bred in Brazil will be running his first race of the year. The last time we saw the son of Agnes Gold on the track he took the show position in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar.

As a veteran race horse, you have to respect is current Horse Racing Nation rating of 7.79 as the highest in the entered field. I also like the fact that he will be breaking from the middle of this 11-horse field from the No. 5 post.

While his best days may be behind them at this point in his career, Ivar has posted his best performances at the one mile distance. He also has solid experience racing at Keeneland given his overall resume.

Exacta Betting Guide

Place: Smooth Like Strait

This is another veteran race horse at five year’s old making his 2022 debut after taking second in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Mile. Adding to the excitement of the rematch with Ivar, he will start this race from the No. 6 post with jockey Umberto Rispoli getting the call.

Trained by Mike McCarthy, the Midnight Lute sire has not finished out of the money over his last 11 major graded events going back to fourth-place run in the 2020 Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs.

This level of consistency across an extended number of major races is hard to bet against. Along with Ivar, rust could be a factor but I still believe these are the two best horses in the field for this Friday’s race.

Show Betting Guide

Show: Somelikeithotbrown

The son of Big Brown will break from the No. 8 post in this race with Jose Ortiz as his jockey. Trained by Mike Maker, this six-year old New York-bred horse has finished in the money in his last five races going back to a victory in last year’s ungraded Mohawk Stakes at Belmont Park on Nov. 6.

Running in last year’s Maker’s Mark Mile, a poor start out of the gate resulted in a disappointing seventh-place run with Raging Bull and Ride a Comet taking first and second. This is another veteran race horse with solid experience racing on the turf at Keeneland to add value to my third-place pick. Last October, Somelikeithotbrown took third in the Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile behind In Love and Tell Your Daddy.

One to Watch

Moving down the list of entries in search of betting value at longer odds, my “one to watch” in this race would be trainer Philip D’Amato’s Count Again. In early March, he won the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Stakes at Santa Anita at the mile distance on turf.

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