America’s Best Racing is excited to partner with StableDuel, a first-of-its kind platform for daily live horse racing contests. For the first time, ABR will present with StableDuel two weekly contests featuring racing at Keeneland Race Course.

StableDuel and ABR have scheduled the contests for every Wednesday and Thursday of the Keeneland Fall meet. The contests cost just $10 to enter, and this Wednesday, StableDuel’s contest is a “Double Up” bankroll builder, where the top 40% of stables at the end of the card will double their money.

If you’re not familiar with StableDuel, think of it the same way you’d think of any fantasy sports platform. To win, you have to create the best roster of horses – a stable – just as you would select football players for a fantasy team. The better each horse performs, the more points you rack up. The top horses in each race (based on morning-line odds) are assigned the highest salaries. Since each team has a salary cap, teams can’t consist of all “favorites” and inevitably require players to identify winning “longshots” or sleeper picks that can be added to a stable for lower salaries.

The Wednesday Oct. 14 Keeneland contest requires the standard selection of 10 horses per team. Each stable assembled must stay within a $50,000 virtual salary cap. The horses available for selection in the contest are the runners from all eight races that are scheduled at Keeneland on Wednesday.

ABR’s Patrick Reed lives less than half an hour from Keeneland and attends the races there regularly, although this fall he'll be watching remotely along with all other fans and bettors. Here’s how Patrick constructed his team.

Race 1

Horse: #4 Oro de Tejano

Salary: $6,000

Reasoning: Toss the last start on turf and his winning effort on Sept. 3 at Churchill Downs is good enough to get him back in the track photographer’s sights in the Wednesday opener. I also like his experience racing at seven furlongs and a mile, which can help him in this 6 ½-furlong claimer.

Race 2

Horse: #3 Folly

Salary: $7,000

Reasoning: I obviously don’t like the name, but this filly has good back class in route races, although most of her best efforts came on turf. I’m hoping she builds on her Sept. 26 start, which was her first race since February, and improves stretching out from seven furlongs to 1 1/16 miles.

Race 3

Horse: #8 Fixico

Salary: $3,000

Reasoning: This colt’s first start on dirt after two tries on Arlington Park’s synthetic main track was good – he led into the stretch at Churchill Downs in September and held on for second in a race at this level, a six-furlong maiden claimer. He’s a longshot but has a good pace rider in Florent Geroux to try to wire the field again.

Race 3

Horse: #10 Smart Call

Salary: $3,000

Reasoning: If Fixico falters, I’m hoping this son of Empire Maker cutting back in distance from 1 1/16 miles can rally to get a share. His race in September at Churchill Downs (fifth) was an improvement over his previous three no-show efforts and he started his career against much tougher horses than he faces here.

Race 4

Horse: #4 Ria Munk

Salary: $8,000

Reasoning: This is a tough race with several horses who could win, but this mare is in good form with two runner-up efforts in her recent races on turf, both in routes. She’s made most of her starts on dirt, though, including a second to subsequent graded stakes winner Envoutante back in May in a race at this 1 1/16-mile distance.

Race 5

Horse: #2 Palamos

Salary: $3,000

Reasoning: The fillies in this one-mile turf maiden special weight who have racing experience don’t jump off the page, so I’ll take a flyer on an English-bred Blame filly making her debut for Graham Motion and coming in from his Fair Hill Training Center. Palamos is a full-sister to the Motion-trained graded stakes winner Mrs. Sippy.

Race 6 (SLEEPER PICK)

Horse: #4 Chewy Chewy Good 

Salary: $750

Reasoning: This is a wide-open maiden special weight with a full field and there are several fillies who have early speed. I’m hoping this Twirling Candy filly, whose finished fourth at a mile and third at seven furlongs, can come from off the pace in this 6 ½-furlong race and run them all down at a price.

Race 7 (MUST START)

Horse: #4 Lexi On the Move 

Salary: $7,500

Reasoning: This six-furlong allowance is another very competitive race, but Lexi On the Move is 2-for-5 in her career and her only two starts out of the money came on turf and on a sloppy track. I think her stalking running style works to her benefit in this race.

Race 8

Horse: #5 First Citizen

Salary: $5,000

Reasoning: This gelding’s two most recent starts make him competitive in this six-furlong $15,000 maiden claiming race. He showed speed in his Aug. 21 start going a mile at Ellis Park before yielding late with Adam Beschizza aboard, and I expect Beschizza to send him again.

Race 8

Horse: #9 Dyess

Salary: $5,000

Reasoning: As with race 3, I’ll use an off-the-pace horse along with a speed horse in this deep closer. This Super Saver colt makes his first start off of a four-month layoff for a new trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. He’s dropping down in class and fits in well with this group.