Beaumont

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

Five sophomore fillies will square off over the about seven-furlong Beard
Course distance at Keeneland in Thursday’s $250,000 Beaumont S. (G2), and PUNCH APPEAL
(Successful Appeal) looks tough to handle from post 5. A five-time stakes
winner, the Steve Asmussen-trained miss can lead or rate and is her best going
middle distances. She’s well drawn to the outside in this short field and we
like the rider change to John Velazquez. Punch Appeal ended last season in good
form and should be ready to roll off the freshening. We’ll give her a slight
edge in this competitive affair.

BROOKE’S HALO (Southern Halo) is very quick and could prove difficult to run
down on the front end. The added distance is a concern for the lightly raced
filly, but her BRIS Speed ratings are solid and the chestnut owns room for
improvement. Victor Espinoza is in from California to ride the promising lass in
her graded debut.

IN THE GOLD (Golden Missile) gets a positive rider switch to Rafael Bejarano
and is a threat to wear down the speed in the stretch. She was flying late in
the Bonnie Miss S. (G2) last out, missing by just a nose on the wire, but
Keeneland tends to be a speed-favoring oval. If the track is playing fair, we’ll
give her more serious consideration.

HOT STORM (Stormy Atlantic) is one-for-one at Keeneland and two-for-two over
wet tracks. The Dallas Stewart-trained bay exits a fine third-place effort in
her graded bow, earning a commendable 97 Speed rating, and could carve out a
perfect stalking trip here under Jerry Bailey. Consider for the top three.

ASPEN TREE (Holy Bull) is a late-running lass from the Carl Nafzger shedrow
and hasn’t been much of a factor in two starts this season. We’ll look for more
from the Grade 2-placed runner at Churchill Downs.