Longshot Look Presented By Kentucky Downs: A Closing Day Buzzer Beater

It's closing day of the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs, and the Paulick Report is ahead of it with another Longshot Look video segment.

Bloodstock editor Joe Nevills steps in with an attempt to end the season on a high note, singling out a price play with his reasoning for what makes the horse worth a look when they might go overlooked.

Nevills turns his attention to Race 4 on Sunday's card, a seven-furlong allowance for fillies over Kentucky Downs' unique turf course. His pick showed some real flashes of turf ability in her most recent start, and she has the class to build upon it in her toughest test to date.

Kentucky Downs' 2021 meet takes place Sept. 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, and 12. First post each day is at 12:20 p.m. Central.

Watch today's Longshot Look presented by Kentucky Downs below:

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Franklin-Simpson: The Lir Jet Finds His Best Stride Again At Kentucky Downs

Qatar Racing and Racehorse Club's The Lir Jet hadn't won a race since June of 2020, and had no luck in his first trip to the United States when ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall. Despite a trio of off-the-board finishes and a three-month layoff, the 3-year-old son of Prince of Lir made his return trip to the United States a winning one on Saturday at Kentucky Downs.

Piloted by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Brendan Walsh, The Lir Jet moved up the inside rail to earn a 1 3/4-length victory at odds of 8-1 in the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson Stakes. He completed 6 1/2 furlongs over the firm course in 1:15.38, giving David Redvers' Qatar Racing a third straight win in the race.

Into the Sunrise and Bodenheimer were quick early, the former speeding away to lead the first quarter mile in :22.18. The Lir Jet got prime position along the inside, moving into fifth around the turn as the two frontrunners hooked up for the stretch run. Into the Sunrise held firm until The Lir Jet came up his inside and took command, pulling away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Easy Time made up a ton of ground to finish second by a head over Fauci, with Into the Sunrise just a nose back in fourth.

Bred in Ireland by Mr. Donal Boylan, The Lir Jet was a $9,775 yearling purchase at Goffs. He won his first two starts, including the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, and was twice placed in G1 company as a juvenile before his trip to the Breeders' Cup. This year, The Lir Jet ran third in a G3 in April, but had managed no better than sixth in his three starts since. Overall, The Lir Jet owns three wins, two seconds and a third from 11 starts, with earnings of $313,882.

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Gear Jockey Delivers Course-Record Performance In Kentucky Downs’ Turf Sprint

On Calumet Saturday at Kentucky Downs, the farm's homebred Gear Jockey delivered a timely performance to triumph in the Grade 3 FanDuel Turf Sprint. Crossing the wire 2 1/2 lengths the best at odds of 5-1, Gear Jockey lowered the track record for six furlongs by over a second: his final time was 1:07.90 over the firm turf. Jose Lezcano piloted the Rusty Arnold trainee to victory.

The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy earned the first graded stakes victory of his career in the Turf Sprint, as well as an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar in November.

Third by a length in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf as a maiden, Gear Jockey has continued to improve with age. The colt broke his maiden in January of 2021, and hadn't run worse than fourth in seven starts this year as he entered the starting gate at Kentucky Downs. Most recently, Gear Jockey ran third after a poor start in the G3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 6.

Coming from well off the pace that day, Gear Jockey was much closer to the pace in this pace-less edition of the Turf Sprint. Bombard grabbed the lead at the start, and Lezcano kept Gear Jockey right on his heels through fractions of :22.38 and :45.14. Rounding the far turn Gear Jockey drew even with the frontrunner, and Lezcano sent him up the hill to the wire an easy winner by 2 1/2 lengths.

Diamond Oops, also up close early, made up ground in the lane to out-finish Bombard by a nose for the place. Troy Stakes winner Fast Boat finished another head back in fourth. Race-favorite Got Stormy, the filly taking on the males, finished sixth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths.

Bred in Kentucky by owner Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm, Gear Jockey is out of the winning Tapit mare Switching Gears, from the family of Grade 1 winner Stroll. Calumet purchased the mare with Gear Jockey in utero for $20,000 at the 2017 Keeneland January sale. With a record of four wins, two seconds, and five fifths from 15 career starts, Gear Jockey has earned a total of $902,875.

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Sunday Insights: Gun Runner Firster Headlines KY Downs Opener

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
1st-KD, $135K, Msw, 2yo, f, 1mT, post time: 1:20 p.m. ET
CARIOQUINHA (Gun Runner), listed as a $475,000 Keeneland November weanling, is the latest to make the races for her dam Pure Clan (Pure Prize), a three-time Grade I winner on turf who was purchased by Torrealba Holdings for $4.5 million in foal to Bernardini at KEENOV in 2012. Undefeated at two and also a three-time GSW on the main track, Pure Clan is the dam of two winners from three to start, including Three Chimneys' Princesa Carolina (Tapit), who validated 4-5 favoritism in the Dueling Grounds Oaks over this course in 2019. Pure Clan is a half-sister to the pint-sized MGSW Greater Good (Intidab). Carioquinha is inbred 4×3 to Storm Cat, a topic highlighted in Sid Fernando's Taking Stock column Sept. 10. TJCIS PPs

6th-KD, $135K, Msw, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, post time: 4:08 p.m. ET
IBERVILLE (Pioneerof the Nile) cost $260,000 at KEESEP last fall and is out of Fascinating (Smart Strike), herself a $1.2-million KEESEP grad who finished runner-up as a maiden to She's a Tiger (Tale of the Cat) in the 2013 GI Del Mar Debutante. Iberville is a maternal grandson of GSW/GISP Untouched Talent (Storm Cat), whose son Bodemeister (Empire Maker) won the 2012 GI Arkansas Derby before taking excruciating losses when making nearly all the running in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. The colt's third dam Parade Queen (A.P. Indy) was a dual graded-stakes winner on the grass. TJCIS PPs

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