Keeneland April 16 Barn Notes

By Amy Owens —-

Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet runs through Friday, April 28, with racing on Wednesdays
through Sundays. Post time for the first race each day is 1:05 p.m. ET.

• DICKINSON’S COOLMORE JENNY WILEY VICTORY CAPS MAGICAL DAY FOR McLAUGHLIN BARN
• WARD LAYS OUT PLAN FOR LADY AURELIA’S ROYAL ASCOT RETURN
• GALLOPING OUT
• UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES
• SPRING MEET LEADERS

DICKINSON’S COOLMORE JENNY WILEY VICTORY CAPS
MAGICAL DAY FOR McLAUGHLIN BARN

The afternoon started with a maiden win in the fourth race and by the time the day was done with the victory by Dickinson in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1), trainer Kiaran McLaughlin had earned a spot in the Keeneland record books.

The Lexington native joined Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher as the only trainers to win four races on a single Keeneland card since the track began running races in October 1936. McLaughlin won with every starter he had Saturday; all are owned by Godolphin Racing and all were bred under Godolphin’s Darley banner.

“To come back to his hometown and do what he did yesterday was incredible,” said Roger Horgan, who is overseeing McLaughlin’s Keeneland string. “I thought if they all brought their ‘A’ game, we could have a good day because they all fit.”

The hit parade started in the fourth race when Tasteful came from far back with a devastating move to win by 3¾ lengths and break her maiden in her second start.

“The way she won gave us confidence going into the Ben Ali (G3) with Watershed,” Horgan said. “The track yesterday favored his running style. It was deeper and didn’t favor speed.”

Before Watershed’s victory, Zennor posted an allowance win on the grass.

“That race went all against his running style,” Horgan said. “Usually he is aggressive and on or near the lead. When the Juddmonte horse (Forge [GB]) came to him, I thought that was it, but he held him off. Maybe that’s his preferred style.

“By then, I thought this good day could turn into a great day and it turned out to be magical.”
Watershed came from off the pace to get his first graded-stakes win in the Ben Ali, easily holding off defending champion Eagle by 2¾ lengths.

“He is a tired teddy bear this morning,” Horgan said.

Dickinson capped off the day with her head victory over Lady Eli in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley.

“She is good this morning,” Horgan said of the 5-year-old who has won three consecutive graded stakes. “To overcome what she did yesterday in the stretch was pretty incredible.”

Dickinson was caught in behind horses in the upper stretch and had to wait for room. That allowed Lady Eli to get the jump on her and left Dickinson with work to do. Paco Lopez, who was winning on Dickinson for the third consecutive time, got her in the clear inside the eighth pole and was able to run down Lady Eli in the final yards.

After the race, McLaughlin indicated the $700,000 Just A Game (G1) at a mile on June 10 at Belmont Park would be the likely next stop for Dickinson.

“You never can be overly confident, because this is spring at Keeneland,” Horgan said. ”You don’t forget days like that. It was magical.”

Dickinson won the Coolmore Jenny Wiley by a head over 1-2 favorite Lady Eli, making her first start since her runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) in November. Lady Eli was fine Sunday morning.

“She’s in great shape,” said Baldo Hernandez, assistant to trainer Chad Brown.

Brown returned to New York last night and would return to Keeneland Thursday, Hernandez said.

Finishing third in the Coolmore Jenny Wiley was Gestut Faerhof’s Quidura (GB), who was making her first start since winning the Pin Oak Valley View (G3) here last October.

“We were very happy with her,” said Alice Clapham, assistant to trainer Graham Motion. “She ran huge yesterday and is fine this morning. Graham will talk with the owners (about a next start), but it is a long year.”

Trainer James Toner said that Phillips Racing Partnership’s Time and Motion was OK after her sixth-place finish in her first Keeneland start since winning last fall’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1).

David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse, said Catch a Glimpse also exited the race in good order after setting the pace before finishing last of eight, but just four lengths behind the winner.

WARD LAYS OUT PLAN FOR LADY AURELIA’S ROYAL ASCOT RETURN

Stonestreet Stables, George Bolton and Peter Leidel’s Lady Aurelia, Europe’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2016, impressively passed her first test of 2017 when she won yesterday’s Giant’s Causeway by 2½ lengths as the even-money favorite. The plan now is for the Keeneland-based filly to return to Royal Ascot, where she won last year’s Queen Mary (G2), to contest the June 20 King’s Stand (G1).

“She’s doing great,” trainer Wesley Ward said with a broad smile Sunday morning. “She’s feeling so great she can’t stand herself.”

When it was suggested he might be feeling the same, Ward said, “Absolutely.”

He admitted relief after Lady Aurelia’s performance in the Giant’s Causeway, her first race since late September.

“There’s always an unknown factor, although her works suggested (she would run well),” he said. “You never know until they do it.”

Ward said he would give Lady Aurelia “a nice big rest” for about 3½ weeks and “then keep clicking off half-mile, five-eighths works here at Keeneland on the grass until we get over there.”

He expects to send the Scat Daddy filly to England about two weeks before the King’s Stand, flying direct from Indianapolis.

A year ago, Lady Aurelia opened her career at Keeneland with a 7½-length victory on dirt in track-record time. She won the Queen Mary on June 15, Darley Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville in France on Aug. 21 and was third in the Connolly’s Red Mills Cheveley Park (G1) at Newmarket in England on Sept. 24.
Trainer Neil Pessin said that Lothenbach Stables’ Nobody’s Fault, runner-up in the Giant’s Causeway, would be nominated to the $65,000 Unbridled Sidney to be run May 13 at Churchill Downs.

“She ran into a buzz saw yesterday,” Pessin said referring to Lady Aurelia. “The race at Churchill is a possibility and we’ll see if she can get up at 5 furlongs.”

Defending Giant’s Causeway champion Exaggerated finished seventh in her first start since last June.
“She is fine this morning,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said. “The winner just whizzed by us.”

Delacour indicated the $100,000 The Very One at 5 furlongs at Pimlico on May 20 may be next for Exaggerated.

“We will look at that. That’s the same race she ran in last year (after the Giant’s Causeway) and she was third to Lady Shipman,” Delacour said.

GALLOPING OUT

Trainer Arnaud Delacour said a start in the Preakness (G1) was unlikely following a third-place finish by Lael Stables’ No Dozing in the Stonestreet Lexington (G3).

“He came back fine, but he had a troubled trip yesterday,” Delacour said of No Dozing, who was beaten a head and a neck.

UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES

$100,000 HILLIARD LYONS DOUBLEDOGDARE (G3) (Entries taken Tuesday, April 18; race Friday, April 21) – Lady Fog Horn (trainer Anthony Granitz), Power of Snunner (Joe Sharp), Unbridled Mo (Todd Pletcher). Possible: Dear Elaine (Charlie LoPresti), Fleet Bertie (LoPresti).

$250,000 DIXIANA ELKHORN (G2) (Entries taken Wednesday, April 19; race Saturday, April 22) – Bigger Picture (trainer Mike Maker), Bullards Alley (Tim Glyshaw), Charming Kitten (Maker), Danish Dynaformer (Roger Attfield), Grey Wizard (Jose Fernandez), Interpol (James Toner), Itsinthepost (FR) (Jeff Mullins), Red Rifle (Todd Pletcher), Taghleeb (Maker), Twilight Eclipse (Graham Motion).

SPRING MEET LEADERS
Through April 15 (seven days of racing)
Jockey Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Joel Rosario 33 9 5 5 $908,481
Julien Leparoux 35 8 4 6 $1,007,614
Javier Castellano 19 7 1 2 $532,694
Corey Lanerie 31 5 7 3 $564,792
Jose Ortiz 36 4 5 5 $447,040

Trainer Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Kiaran McLaughlin 12 6 2 0 $525,460
Wesley Ward 25 6 3 4 $258,277
Chad Brown 13 5 3 2 $665,077
Mark Casse 23 5 3 2 $530,445

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