• SUNDAY’S ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER ATTRACTS FIELD OF 10 • PRIVATE ZONE SETTLING IN NICELY AT KEENELAND
SUNDAY’S ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER ATTRACTS FIELD OF 10
A total of 10 evenly matched turf marathoners passed the entry box Thursday morning for Sunday’s 24th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) to be run at 1½ miles for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up.
The Rood & Riddle Dowager is carded as the eighth race on Sunday’s nine-race program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time. First post Sunday is 1:05 p.m.
Headlining the field are recent stakes winners Modernstone (GB) and Kitten’s Point.
Wachtel Stable, Brous Stable and Gary Barber’s Modernstone was a 29-1 upset winner of the Ladies Marathon at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 19 in her latest race. Trained by Kelly Rubley, Modernstone will be ridden Sunday by Paco Lopez and break from post position 10.
Augustin Stable’s Kitten’s Point won the restricted Mrs. Penny Stakes at Parx in her most recent start Sept. 5. Trained by Graham Motion, Kitten’s Point will be ridden by Edgar Prado and break from post position one. Prado won this race in 2011 on Senada.
Also figuring to draw support is Glen Hill Farm and Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc.’s Ceisteach (IRE). Trained by Tom Proctor, Ceisteach ran off victories in the Keertana at Churchill Downs and the Robert Dick Memorial (G3) at Delaware Park before finishing seventh in the Glen Falls (G3) at Saratoga in her most recent start Sept. 5. Brian Pedroza has the call Sunday and will break from post position eight.
The field for the Rood & Riddle Dowager, with jockeys and weight from the rail out is, Kitten’s Point (Prado, 123 pounds), Llanarmon (Jesus Castanon, 121), Interject (Brian Hernandez Jr., 121), Lady of Gold (Joe Rocco Jr., 121), Naples Gold (Chris Landeros, 121), Trophee (FR) (Julien Leparoux, 121), Honey Lake (Jon Court, 121), Ceisteach (IRE) (Pedroza, 123), Miss Chatelaine (Joe Bravo, 118) and Modernstone (GB) (Paco Lopez, 121).
PRIVATE ZONE SETTLING IN NICELY AT KEENELAND
Good Friends Stable’s Private Zone, the likely favorite for the $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on Oct. 31, jogged on the main track for the second consecutive morning under exercise rider Juan Garcia as trainer Jorge Navarro looked on.
“The plan was to come in early,” Navarro said of Private Zone, a 6-year-old Macho Uno gelding who arrived from Monmouth Park on Tuesday. “We shipped up to Saratoga 10 days before his last race (the Grade 1 Priority One Jets Forego Stakes) and he ran his biggest race. I talked with Rene Douglas (of Good Friends) and he said, ‘Let’s take him down early’ for the Breeders’ Cup.” Navarro, who has been training for eight years, never has raced at Keeneland and has run only one horse in Kentucky.
“Him,” Navarro said as Private Zone came off the track. “The first time I ran at Churchill was this year with him. Maybe I can go two-for-two in Kentucky.”
The victory in the Churchill Downs Stakes (G2) on Derby Day was the first of three stakes scores in 2015 for Private Zone. His other victories came in the Belmont Sprint Championship (G3) and the Forego in his most recent start.
Navarro plans to work the four-time Grade 1 winner twice before the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, a race in which Private Zone finished third last year at Santa Anita.
“This horse has two jockeys: Carlos Marquez, who rides him in his workouts, and Martin (Pedroza) who rides his races,” Navarro said.
Private Zone is scheduled to work out of the gate Sunday and come back with a maintenance move the following Saturday. Navarro hopes Sunday’s work is not as eventful as the drill prior to the Forego.
“His one work at Saratoga was a disaster,” Navarro said of the move a week before the race. “He had two horses break off in front of him and he goes in :45 (and change for a half) and (out five furlongs) :57. And then he runs his best race.”
YAHILWA SHARP IN FIRST BREEZE SINCE JUDDMONTE SPINSTER
D. P. Racing’s Yahilwa, a candidate for the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) on Oct. 30, worked five furlongs in :58.40 under exercise rider Aime Williams after the Thursday morning renovation break.
Working on her own, Yahilwa reeled off fractions of :11.60, :22.80, :34.60, :46.60 and galloped out in 1:12.20. (Click here for a video of the work.)
“That was awesome,” Williams said. “She was relaxed and galloped out strong.” It was the first work for the Jim Cassidy trainee, a 5-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, since she finished third, beaten a neck and a head, in the Juddmonte Spinster (G1) on Oct. 4.
“After the Spinster, when we took her back to the track the first couple days we jogged her thinking the race may have taken something out of her,” Williams said. “But she is way stronger now than she was before the race. She really likes it here.”
Yahilwa is scheduled to work once more before the Breeders’ Cup, possibly next Thursday according to Williams.
NEMORALIA SEEKS TO GIVE NOSEDA SECOND BREEDERS’ CUP TRIUMPH
Trainer Jeremy Noseda struck Breeders’ Cup gold with his initial World Championships starter when Wilko won the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Lone Star Park in Texas.
His hopes for a second score lie with Nemoralia, who has taken up temporary residence in trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s barn at Keeneland in preparation for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Oct. 31.
Owned by Terry Allan, James Lovat and Charles Pigram, Nemoralia made her U.S. debut in the Oct. 3 Frizette (G1) in which she finished second to Nickname.
“She is bred for dirt being by More Than Ready and there were no dirt races for her at home in England,” said Kerri Radcliffe, assistant to Noseda. “The plan always has been the Breeders’ Cup and it was kind of a last-minute deal to go to the Frizette.”
Nemoralia has compiled a record of 5-2-2-0 with her victories coming on grass and an all-weather surface. Her exercise Thursday consisted of cantering on Keeneland’s all-weather training track. “Jeremy will be here Friday and she is scheduled to work Sunday,” Radcliffe said.
GALLOPING OUT
It took nine days, but the Keeneland Fall Meet produced its first three-winner day for a rider Wednesday when Julien Leparoux recorded the hat trick and joined Corey Lanerie at the top of the jockey standings.
Leparoux’s winners came in the third on Curlino for trainer Mark Casse and with Sensuous Pat in the fourth and Lady Day Blues in the sixth, both for trainer Kenny McPeek. Leparoux, who has won 10 riding titles here, and Lanerie have nine wins at the 17-day meet’s halfway point.
McPeek has saddled four winners at the meet. Wednesday’s double increased his career total here to 199. McPeek has two chances Thursday to join D. Wayne Lukas, Bill Mott and Rusty Arnold in the 200-win club here. McPeek sends out The Strip in the third and Go Lock It Up in the fifth.
STAKES PROBABLES
Here is the list of probable starters for upcoming stakes as compiled by Racing Secretary Ben Huffman and Stakes Coordinator Allison DeLuca: SATURDAY, Oct. 24 (Entries taken Wednesday, Oct. 21) $150,000 PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW (G3) Probable: America Mon Amie, Calypso Beat, Cara Marie, Don’t Leave Me, Havanna Belle (IRE), Include Betty, Miss Double d’Oro, Mrs McDougal, Osaila (IRE), Pine Needles, Prado’s Sweet Ride, Rainha Da Bateria, Stormy Regatta, Sunset Glow, Tiger Ride.
FALL MEET LEADERS Through Oct. 14 (nine days of racing)
Jockey Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses Julien Leparoux 46 9 9 3 $805,691 Corey Lanerie 59 9 7 7 $717,467 Florent Geroux 55 4 5 9 $723,600 Shaun Bridgmohan 28 4 3 2 $168,595 Mitchell Murrill 17 4 1 2 $68,909 Jose Lezcano 9 4 0 2 $333,843
Trainer Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses Mark Casse 19 7 2 2 $593,974 Wesley Ward 15 5 4 2 $161,558 Kenny McPeek 22 4 3 4 $268,612 Dale Romans 20 4 1 6 $484,558 Todd Pletcher 21 3 2 3 $450,292 Chris Richard 10 3 1 3 $57,706 Randy Morse 8 3 1 0 $80,520 Kiaran McLaughlin 5 3 0 1 $153,755
