Turfway Park play of the day: Yellen finds an easier spot

A filly with promising form lines against Kentucky Oaks (G1) contenders will aim to reach the winner’s circle Saturday night at Turfway Park.

The fifth race of the evening, scheduled for 8:12 p.m. ET, is a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight for 3-year-old fillies. A full field has been entered, and the race is packed with promising first-time starters, but it’s the experienced #2 Yellen who figures to win the day.

Even ignoring her performances on track, there’s plenty to like about this daughter of Fed Biz. Yellen is trained by Wesley Ward and will be ridden by Gerardo Corrales, and you really couldn’t ask for a hotter trainer/jockey combo at Turfway this winter. Ward has gone 18-for-52 since the start of the meet, a 35% win rate, while Corrales is striking at a 27% rate. Together they’ve teamed up to go 6-for-18 (33%) over the last 60 days.

Just as encouraging are Yellen’s own performances. In her first four starts sprinting on turf, Yellen showed flashes of tactical speed and talent. In a 6 1/2-furlong dash at Kentucky Downs, she finished second behind Finite, who has since won the Rags to Riches S., the Golden Rod (G2), the Silverbulletday S., and the Rachel Alexandra (G2). Then, in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Keeneland, Yellen chased home Lucrezia, the subsequent winner of the Sandpiper S. and Suncoast S.

Yellen is unlikely to face as tough a field at Turfway Park, and while she finished ninth in her first start over this track Dec. 27, I’m inclined to draw a line through that effort. Yellen was stretching out to a mile and had to check sharply when squeezed between rivals on the far turn. The cutback to a sprint should help her rebound.

For the purpose of multi-race wagers, Yellen is a logical single, and if she starts at 2-1 or more, a sizable win bet will be in order. Bolder bettors can consider playing Yellen on top of an exacta with #7 Myeerah and #10 Lele underneath. Myeerah fired off a bullet 5-furlong workout Jan. 31 and is a daughter of Constitution, who sires 24% winners from first-time starters. Lele gained some ground late in her debut and figures to show improvement for trainer Dale Romans, who strikes at a 17% rate with second-time starters.

$20 to win on #2 Yellen
$5 exacta: 2 with 7,10 ($10)

Good luck!