KEENELAND DAILY NOTEBOOK
SATURDAY, APRIL 7
by Brian P. Turner
Saturday brought the first Grade 1 offering of the meet as a field of eight
contested the Ashland S. for three-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles over the
Polytrack. Octave (Unbridled’s Song) was sent to the gate as the heavy favorite
by the betting public but, in the end, it was CHRISTMAS KID (Lemon Drop Kid) who
crossed the finish line in front at odds of 9-1.
When the gates sprang open, Mistical Plan (Game Plan) bounded out and
immediately found herself embroiled in a pace duel with Elitist (Honour and
Glory), who got the opening quarter in :24. Mistical Plan took the lead all for
herself in a half that went in :47 3/5 but, once she hit the stretch, it became
apparent that she had nothing left in the tank as she faded to finish fifth.
Christmas Kid bumped with Octave as the pair left the gate but quickly moved
into a nice position, 4 1/2 lengths off the pacesetter. As the field approached
the final turn, the bay began to close in, took the lead at the head of the
stretch and then opened up on the field. It was at this time that Octave made
her move from near the back of the pack and she gained ground with every jump
inside the final furlong. It was a case of too little too late, though, as
Christmas Kid dug in gamely to cross the finish line a head in front.
Octave was finishing with a ton of energy late, and those who like her for
the Kentucky Oaks (G1) have nothing to be discouraged about as this appears to
have been the perfect prep for the big event.
Longshot Dawn After Dawn (Successful Appeal) took a major leap forward off
her fourth-place finish in the Fair Ground Oaks (G2) as she finished well late
to cross the wire three parts of a length farther back in third.
In addition to the Ashland, a field of 11 contested the Lafayette S. for
three-year-olds going seven furlongs. Out of Gwedda (Out of Place) was sent to
the post by the betting public as the favorite, but the colt was never really in
contention at any point in the race as he raced well off the pace early and
never really made a move, eventually crossing the finish line in sixth.
Instead, the day belonged to CARNACKS CHOICE (Carson City), who was coming
off a lackluster fourth-place effort in the W.E.B.N. S. at Turfway Park. The
chestnut definitely righted the ship here as he was content to lay off the pace
early through testing opening fractions of :22 1/5 and :44 2/5 before running
down the pacesetter near the wire and hitting the finish line a neck front.
Call Me Clash (Clash By Night) was extremely impressive in this second-place
effort as he was on the lead through those testing fractions and nearly held on
for the victory. It was another 1 3/4 lengths back to longshot Ollie Jet (Stormy
Atlantic) in third.
There were a total of five sprints contested on the main track today with
horses closing from off the pace winning three of them. In addition to the
feature, there were two other routes contested on the Polytrack, one of which
was won by a stalker and the other by a runner closing from off the pace. As for
the two turf routes, one was won by a presser and the other by a horse closing
from just off the pace.
As for the trainers, Kiaran McLaughlin saddled two winners on the day, which
moves him into a tie for the top spot with John Ward Jr. and Dale Romans. There
are 14 separate trainers with one winner each.
Garrett Gomez rode four winners on the day and Julien Leparoux added three,
leaving the pair in a tie atop the jockey standings with five winners each.
Rafael Bejarano added one to his total and is in a tie for the third spot with
Edgar Prado. The two jockeys have three winners each.
Horses to Watch
1ST – ELOCUTION (Mutakddim) had a very nice career debut for trainer Steve
Asmussen in this 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight event. The two-year-old
filly broke well from the gate and quickly moved up to challenge for the lead.
Once the field hit the stretch, the chestnut looked as though she was going to
pack it in and actually dropped back into third. Elocution dug in professionally
and re-rallied gamely late to cross the finish line a length in front.
4TH – DIVINE PARK (Chester House) is now a perfect two-for-two in his career
after his extremely impressive performance in this seven-furlong allowance
event. The bay broke slowly, which left him trailing the field early, but he
quickly moved into striking distance through opening fractions of :22 4/5 and
:46. Once the field hit the stretch, the three-year-old colt made a six wide
move and finished with a powerful turn of foot late to hit the finish line 2 3/4
lengths in front.
Outlook for Wednesday, April 11
As usual, Keeneland will be closed Sunday in observance of Easter Sunday but
live racing will return on Wednesday as a field of 11 is set to contest the
$200,000 Madison S. (G2) for fillies and mares, four-years-old and up, going
seven furlongs over the Polytrack. Several in this field appear to have a
legitimate chance of claiming the victory, including MARY DELANEY (Hennessy),
whose record of 7-5-1-0 over artificial surfaces includes two starts in Europe.
The bay is coming off an impressive victory in the Queen S. at Turfway Park,
where she led wire-to-wire and hit the finish line 3 3/4 lengths clear of the
field. Her only other start at Keeneland came last fall, where she easily
handled a very solid field of allowance horses by two lengths. A look at the
filly’s BRIS Pace ratings indicate that she should be able to have things her
own way on or near the lead early and still have plenty left at the end to cross
the finish line in front.
GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) could be sitting on a huge effort for trainer
Bobby Frankel despite the fact that she will be making her first start since
November. Frankel wins 28 percent of the time with starters coming from layoffs
longer than 90 days, and the filly has been working steadily for her return to
the track. The chestnut has only one start to her credit over the Polytrack, but
that came here at Keeneland last fall when she absolutely demolished a field of
allowance horses by 6 1/2 lengths. Ginger Punch is definitely capable here at
what should be a fair price. HOT STORM (Stormy Atlantic) was sent off as the
favorite last out against Mary Delaney in the Queen S. despite the fact that she
had not visited the winner’s circle in any of her previous seven starts. Still,
the bay has run well every time she has raced on a synthetic surface and, though
she has not been in the winner’s circle as of late, she has rarely been out of
the money.
BRIGHT ABUNDANCE (Quiet American) has raced on the grass in 26 of her 27
career starts, and horses who run well on the turf generally take to the
Polytrack. The six-year-old mare has performed well in each of her two starts
this year, including a win against stakes company at Gulfstream Park, and she is
more than capable of having an impact here. LEAH’S SECRET (Tiger Ridge) pulled
off the upset the last time she was at Keeneland, when she stalked the pace
early on her way to a game three-quarter of a length victory in the Raven Run S.
(G2) in October. The dark bay hasn’t been disgraced in either of her two starts
this year, both against graded company, and the return to Lexington, Kentucky,
might be just what she needs to get back into the winner’s circle.
YOLANDA B. TOO (Two Punch) has been putting in some very nice efforts against
stakes company as of late and her best could definitely earn her a share of the
purse. MORETHANAPRINCESS (More Than Ready) is coming off a nice 3 3/4-length
allowance win at Oaklawn Park and could crash the boards if she moves forward
off that effort.
MISS NORMAN (Artax) will be making her second start for trainer Patrick
Biancone as she looks to regain some of the form that earned her a spot in the
starting gate for last year’s Kentucky Oaks (G1). ANNIKA LASS (Mister Jolie)
throws in some nice efforts against graded company from time to time but would
definitely need her best to have an impact here.
ATLAS VALLEY (Capote) would need a drastic reversal of form to contend here
and MODJADJI (Pioneering) would be better suited competing against fellow
Illinois-breds.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for a chance of showers and a high near 60.
Wednesday’s Best Plays
2ND – COSMO (Skywalker) could prove to be one tough customer in this
nine-furlong claiming event. The eight-year-old gelding’s performances on the
grass in Louisiana prompted trainer John Fahey III to claim him out of his last
race, and Fahey wins 24 percent of his starts in the “First After Claim” trainer
category. Cosmo tops the field by more than six points in BRIS Prime Power and
also holds the top BRIS Class rating. The dark bay has a versatile running style
which will allow jockey James Graham to have him well placed regardless of the
pace scenario that develops in front of him.
6TH – CARRIAGE TRAIL (Giant’s Causeway) will be making her first start since
coming up five lengths short in the grassy Garden City Breeders’ Cup S. (G1) at
Belmont last September. The four-year-old filly has been working forwardly for
her return to the track, including a clocking of :46 3/5 here on April 4. The
bay tops the field in BRIS Prime Power, BRIS Class rating, and her best BRIS
Speed ratings tower over the field. If she is ready to go after the layoff,
Carriage Trail will be tough to beat.