Playing For Keeps (USA) Horse
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About
Playing For Keeps is a six‑year‑old chestnut gelding bred in the United States, by Dark Kestrel out of Buckler. He is both trained and owned by Louis V. Ruberto. Across 24 starts he has secured five wins, placed nine times, and amassed $212,577 in earnings. His most recent start was at Thistledown on 9 October 2026, where he finished 5th of 8. His latest victory came at the same track on 17 June 2026.
Race Record
| Event Summary | Runner Stats | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Mahoning Valley Race Course 03-Nov-26 1207m FAST R6 Race 6 - Claiming, SP: 6.00 | Mauro Cedillo | 1 (9) |
| Thistledown 09-Oct-26 1207m FIRM R2 Race 2 (of $50,316) Barrier 6, Winning Time: 01:11.140, SP: 4.50 offered a mild bid two wide through the turn then failed to sustain that bid. 1st Red Chips ( J Skerrett 121 , Cd 116 ) 2nd Momma K's Boy ( J Bracho 121 ) 0.05L 3rd Excitement ( L Rivera 119 ) 0.80L 5th Playing For Keeps ( M Cedillo 119 ) 6.30L See full results | M Cedillo 54kg 6.30L | 5 (8) |
| Thistledown 21-Jul-26 1207m GOOD R8 Race 8 $9,990 (of $49,951) Barrier 7, Winning Time: 01:12.220, SP: 3.25 set the pace along the inside into the turn, altered course to the five path before the furlong marker and finished second best. 1st Momma K's Boy ( J Bracho 119 ) 2nd Playing For Keeps ( M Cedillo 121 ) 2.50L 3rd Mr. Redlegs ( R Aragon 123 ) 1.75L See full results | M Cedillo 54.9kg 2.50L | 2 (7) |
| Thistledown 17-Jun-26 1207m FIRM R7 Race 7 $24,969 (of $39,633) Barrier 4, Winning Time: 01:11.960, SP: 2.75 broke in full stride to set all the pace and widened through the stretch under left handed urging and won in hand. 1st Playing For Keeps ( M Cedillo 119 ) 2nd Knock Wood ( N Vigil 121 ) 4.75L 3rd Reckless L J ( L Rivera 121 ) 0.75L See full results | M Cedillo 54kg | 1 (6) |
| Thistledown 26-May-26 1207m GOOD R1 Race 1 $7,844 (of $39,221) Barrier 1, Winning Time: 01:10.640, SP: 11.00 set a pressured pace inside the winner to the top of the stretch and finished well clear for second. 1st Vdaytothetenacious ( L Gonzalez 119 ) 2nd Playing For Keeps ( M Cedillo 119 ) 1.75L 3rd Color Bearer ( J Skerrett 119 ) 5.25L See full results | M Cedillo 54kg 1.75L | 2 (7) |
| Thistledown 13-May-26 1207m GOOD R6 Race 6 $3,877 (of $38,768) Barrier 7, Winning Time: 01:10.820, SP: 26.00 set a pressured pace along the inside for nearly a half mile then was outfinished. 1st Dream On Baby ( A Rodriguez 119 ) 2nd Vdaytothetenacious ( L Gonzalez 119 ) 0.20L 3rd Playing For Keeps ( M Cedillo 119 ) 5.10L See full results | M Cedillo 54kg 5.10L | 3 (9) |
| Penn National 14-Nov-25 1207m Flat, SP: 20/1 | Martina Rojas 54.9kg | 5 (6) |
| Mahoning Valley 29-Oct-25 1207m Flat, SP: 16/1 | Mauro Cedillo 56.2kg | 7 (9) |
| Thistledown 25-Jun-25 1106m FAST Flat, SP: 6/1 | Mauro Cedillo 55.8kg | 6 (7) |
| Mahoning Valley 09-Apr-25 1207m FAST Flat, SP: 5/2 | Mauro Cedillo 57.2kg | 3 (6) |
| Mahoning Valley 18-Mar-25 1207m FAST Flat, SP: 15/2 | Mauro Cedillo 56.2kg | 1 (8) |
| Mahoning Valley 27-Dec-24 1609m SLOPPY Flat, SP: 12/1 | Luis Batista 56.2kg | 7 (8) |
| Mahoning Valley 09-Dec-24 1207m SLOPPY Flat, SP: 11/4 | Luis Batista 56.2kg | 4 (8) |
| Mahoning Valley 06-Nov-24 1207m FAST Flat, SP: 6/1 | Luis Batista 56.2kg | 6 (7) |
| Thistledown 25-Jul-23 1106m FAST Flat, SP: 5/4 | Andrew Ramgeet 52.2kg | 1 (7) |
| Thistledown 04-Jul-23 1207m FAST Flat, SP: 5/4 | Andrew Ramgeet 52.2kg | 2 (7) |
| Thistledown 27-Apr-23 1106m FAST Flat, SP: 7/4 | Mauro Cedillo 54kg | 2 (8) |
| Thistledown 11-Oct-22 1207m FAST Flat, SP: 2/1 | T Houghton 53.5kg | 2 (7) |