Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet opens Friday and concludes Friday, April 28, with racing on Wednesdays through Sundays. Post time for the first race each day
• TOYOTA BLUE GRASS MORNING-LINE FAVORITE McCRAKEN JOGS, VISITS STARTING GATE • PAULASSILVERLINING TOPS FIELD OF NINE FOR GRADE 1 MADISON • COMMONWEALTH FEATURES A. P. INDIAN-LIMOSUINE LIBERAL REMATCH • MONGOLIAN SATURDAY HEADLINES FIELD OF NINE FOR SHAKERTOWN • OSCAR PERFORMANCE READY TO TAKE STAGE FOR 2017 DEBUT • OPENING SUNDAY PROBABLE STAKES FIELD • 2017 SPRING MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
TOYOTA BLUE GRASS MORNING-LINE FAVORITE McCRAKEN JOGS, VISITS STARTING GATE
The six Toyota Blue Grass (G2) horses on the grounds had routine mornings on a mild and breezy Tuesday at Keeneland.
Morning-line favorite McCraken jogged to the starting gate before returning to the barn via the Walking Ring and Paddock with exercise rider Yoni Orantes up for trainer Ian Wilkes.
Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta’s Tapwrit galloped 1 3/8 miles before the break under Romain Techer for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Winner of the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) in his most recent start, Tapwrit is scheduled to visit the gate Wednesday, according to Ginny DePasquale, who is overseeing Pletcher’s Keeneland string. Reddam Racing’s Irap galloped 1¼ miles on the main track after the renovation break with Antonio Romero aboard for trainer Doug O’Neill.
Harold Lerner LLC, AWC Stables, Nehoc Stables and Magdalena Stable’s It’s Your Nickel galloped 1½ miles on the main track during the first set under Pablo Portes.
Klaravich Stables and William E. Lawrence’s Practical Joke galloped 1 3/8 miles on the main track around 7 a.m. under exercise rider Fernando Rivera. With an eye on the weather, trainer Chad Brown said the colt might go to the track Wednesday at 7 a.m. or 8:45 a.m. after a visit to the Paddock.
Calumet Farm’s Wild Shot walked the shedrow at trainer Rusty Arnold’s barn a day after working a half-mile in :48.20.
PAULASSILVERLINING TOPS FIELD OF NINE FOR GRADE 1 MADISON
Multiple graded stakes winner Paulassilverlining will make her debut for new owner Juddmonte Farms on Saturday when she faces eight rivals in the 16th running of the $300,000 Madison (G1) for fillies and mares.
The 7-furlong Madison will go as the eighth race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 5:03 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Now trained by Chad Brown, Paulassilverlining won four stakes in 2016 with the highlight coming in the Gallant Bloom (G2). She was third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita last year.
Jose Ortiz will have the mount on Paulassilverlining and break from post position six.
Other top contenders in the Madison include LNJ Foxwoods’ Constellation, winner of the La Brea (G1) at Santa Anita last Dec. 26, Cheyenne Stables’ Clothes Fall Off, a two-time winner of the Correction at Aqueduct, and High Ridge Road, winner of the Barbara Fritchie (G2) at Laurel in her most recent start.
The field for the Madison, from the rail out, is: Paid Up Subscriber (Joel Rosario, 118 pounds), Clothes Fall Off (Julien Leparoux, 120), Kathballu (Channing Hill, 120), Constellation (David Flores, 123), High Ridge Road (Horacio Karamanos, 120), Paulassilverlining (Ortiz, 118), Wheatfield (Edgar Prado, 118), Ponder Lea (Florent Geroux, 118) and Mines and Magic (Robby Albarado, 118).
COMMONWEALTH FEATURES A. P. INDIAN-LIMOUSINE LIBERAL REMATCH
Green Lantern Stables’ A. P. Indian and Katherine Ball’s Limousine Liberal, who finished a nose apart in last fall’s 6-furlong Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2) at Keeneland, will hook up again Saturday along with seven other runners in the 31st running of the $250,000 Commonwealth (G3). The Commonwealth, run at 7 furlongs on the main track, is the first of five graded stakes on Saturday’s 11-race program and will go as the sixth race with a 3:53 p.m. ET post time.
Now 7, A. P. Indian had two Grade 1 victories among his six victories in 2016 that ended with a third-place result in the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita.
Trained by Arnaud Delacour, A. P. Indian will be ridden Saturday by Joe Bravo and break from post position eight.
Limousine Liberal, unraced since being placed fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is trained by Ben Colebrook. Holder of the track record at 6 ½ furlongs, Limousine Liberal will be ridden by Jose Ortiz and break from post position three.
Back to defend his title in the Commonwealth is Ivan Dalos’ Ami’s Flatter.
Trained by Josie Carroll, Ami’s Flatter will attempt to join Black Tie Affair (IRE) (1990-1991) as the only repeat winner of the race. Second in the Challenger at Tampa Bay Downs in his most recent start, Ami’s Flatter will break from post position seven and be ridden by Florent Geroux.
The field for the Commonwealth, from the rail out, is: Tale of S’avall (Tyler Gaffalione, 118 pounds), Fish Trappe Road (Julien Leparoux, 118), Limousine Liberal (Ortiz, 118), Yockey’s Warrior (Miguel Mena, 118), Redesdale (Robby Albarado, 118), Riding in the Wind (Marco Ccamaque, 118), Ami’s Flatter (Geroux, 118), A. P. Indian (Bravo, 120) and Awesome Slew (Joel Rosario, 118).
MONGOLIAN SATURDAY HEADLINES FIELD OF NINE FOR SHAKERTOWN
Mongolian Stable’s Mongolian Saturday, winner of the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland as well as last fall’s Woodford (G3) here, headlines a field of nine grass sprinters entered Tuesday for Saturday’s 21st running of the $200,000 Shakertown (G2).
The Shakertown will go as the seventh race on Saturday’s 11-race program with a 4:28 p.m. ET post time.
Trained by Enebish Ganbat, Mongolian Saturday finished third in the Silks Run at Gulfstream Park on March 11 in his most recent race. He will break from post position six and be ridden by Jose Lezcano.
Another horse with Keeneland success in the Shakertown field is RGH Bloodstock, Inc. and Dan Gale’s Shakhimat.
Trained by Roger Attfield, Shakhimat won last year’s Transylvania (G3) and will be making his first start since finishing fifth in the Queen’s Plate last July at Woodbine in July. Julien Leparoux will have the mount on Shakhimat and break from post position nine.
The field for the Shakertown, from the inside, is: Holding Gold (Joel Rosario, 120 pounds), Rainbow Heir (Trevor McCarthy, 120), Green Mask (Robby Albarado, 120), Justin Squared (Jose Valdivia Jr., 120), Element (Brian Hernandez Jr., 120), Mongolian Saturday (Lezcano, 122), Hogy (Florent Geroux, 120), Partly Mocha (Jose Ortiz, 120) and Shakhimat (Leparoux, 120).
OSCAR PERFORMANCE READY TO TAKE STAGE FOR 2017 DEBUT
Amerman Racing’s Stable’s Oscar Performance, last seen winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) in November at Santa Anita, will return to the main stage Friday, opening day of Keeneland’s 2017 Spring Meet, in the 29th running of the $150,000 Transylvania (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select.
“This race was the plan,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “He got 60 days off after the Breeders’ Cup. He’s got a long season ahead.”
Oscar Performance, a winner of three of four starts, arrived at Keeneland Saturday from Palm Meadows in Florida, where he has had a steady stream of works. The final work came last Friday, a half-mile in :50.60.
Rain in the forecast for the Lexington area Thursday presents a chance for a less than firm course Friday for the 1 1/16-mile race.
“It is always a concern,” Lynch said of softer conditions. “He handled it well last year in the Pilgrim (G3 last October at Belmont Park), but I hope it is not too soft.”
Two horses that Oscar Performance defeated at Santa Anita, Ticonderoga (fourth) and Big Score (fifth), will try the Lynch runner again.
“It is a solid field and a good group of trainers that know how to get a horse ready,” Lynch said. “My horse is doing great and I can’t make any excuses for him.”
One runner Oscar Performance will be facing for the first time is Sonic Boom.
Owned by Lothenbach Stables and trained by Ian Wilkes, Sonic Boom enters the Transylvania off a victory in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on March 11.
“We wanted to get him to the Breeders’ Cup last year, but he wound up on the also-eligibles last year (for the Grade 3 Dixiana Bourbon, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup),” Wilkes said. “He had won at Kentucky Downs, and we thought he would get in.”
Instead of sitting on the sidelines, Wilkes put Sonic Boom on a plane to California for the Zuma Beach Stakes at Santa Anita.
“I supplemented him and flew him out the day before (the race),” Wilkes said. “He finished second (to Big Score) and if he had won, I would have left him out there (for the Breeders’ Cup).”
OPENING SUNDAY PROBABLE STAKES FIELD
$150,000 ADENA SPRINGS BEAUMONT (G3) (Entries close Thursday; Race Sunday, April 9) – Dancing Rags (Graham Motion), Laney (Eddie Kenneally), My Miss Chiff (Al Stall Jr.), Promises Broken (Phil Sims), Sweet Loretta (Todd Pletcher), Tapped (Jerry Hollendorfer), Treble (Ron Moquett). Possible: Sounds Delicious (Linda Rice).
2017 SPRING MEET SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday, April 6 Official Keeneland Tour. “Keeneland Magazine on TV.” Spring stories include “Big Red Star.” After returning to his Kentucky birthplace, Horse of the Century Man o’ War drew admirers from around the world. Half-hour program airs at 10 p.m. on The CW Lexington.
Friday, April 7 – Opening Day Official Keeneland Tour. NEW Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tour. For an insider’s view of Keeneland, Tour Guides will lead guests to the track’s behind-the-scenes areas such as the Jockeys Quarters, where some of the world’s leading riders prepare for their race day; to the barns, where the race day begins, to the track to see morning workouts and through the picturesque Keeneland Paddock. A limited number of dates and tickets ($25 per person) are available for this exclusive experience. The two-hour tour begins at 9 a.m. and is limited to 10 people. Click here for more information.
The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents Christine A. Moore Millinery and Forme Millinery adjacent to the Walking Ring from 9 a.m. to the last race.
College Scholarship Day. Thousands of students from colleges and universities in Kentucky and beyond will be at the track for this popular event. Admission is free with a college ID. Full-time students can register in the North Terrace to win one of ten $1,000 scholarships awarded after each race and prizes from local vendors. The first 2,000 students to register will receive a Keeneland College Scholarship Day T-shirt courtesy of Coca-Cola or a Southern Proper hat. The $10,000 Runhappy Scholarship will be awarded via random drawing to one lucky full-time student after the eighth race post parade.
Tailgating on The Hill. Keeneland’s popular tailgate lot, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center, features local food trucks, a jumbo television screen, wireless wagering and wagering terminals, race-day programs, The Keeneland Shop kiosk and free shuttles to the track. BETologists will be available to answer fans’ questions.
Friday Pick 4 Presented by TVG. A $200,000-guaranteed pool will be offered on the final four races of the day.
Saturday, April 8 Sunrise Trackside. Keeneland shares a special side of Thoroughbred racing that is worth getting up early to enjoy. Sponsored by LEX18, Sunrise Trackside is a free, family-friendly event with activities for all ages: Breakfast With the Works features breakfast for purchase and trackside commentary (7-8:30 a.m.) while Thoroughbreds train on the main track; children’s activities in the Kids Club Corner (7-9 a.m.); Keeneland tours (7:30-10 a.m.); Paddock demonstration with Central Kentucky Riding for Hope (9 a.m.); trackside handicapping seminar with Paddock Host Katie Gensler and racing analyst Tom Leach (11 a.m.); and Q&A session with a jockey in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.).
The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents Christine A. Moore Millinery and Forme Millinery adjacent to the Walking Ring from 9 a.m. to the last race.
Tailgating on The Hill. Keeneland’s popular tailgate lot, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center, features local food trucks, a jumbo television screen, wireless wagering and wagering terminals, race-day programs, The Keeneland Shop kiosk and free shuttles to the track.
One of Central Kentucky’s favorite bluegrass bands will perform from 12-4 p.m. BETologists will be available to answer fans’ questions.
$400,000 All-Stakes Pick 4 Presented by TVG. Features races 7-10: Shakertown (G2), Madison (G1), Central Bank Ashland (G1) and Toyota Blue Grass (G2). $300,000 All-Stakes Pick 5 Presented by TVG. Features races 6-10: Commonwealth (G3), Shakertown, Madison, Central Bank Ashland and Toyota Blue Grass.
