Keeneland Barn Notes — Monday, Oct. 9

Posted On 09 Oct 2017

By Amy Owens —-

MONDAY, OCT. 9
Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet concludes Saturday, Oct. 28, with racing
on Wednesdays through Sundays. Post time for the first race each day is 1:05 p.m. ET.
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· NO BREEDERS’ CUP DECISION YET ON JUDDMONTE SPINSTER WINNER ROMANTIC VISION
· CASSE BARN MAKES RIGHT CALL WITH FLAMEAWAY IN DIXIANA BOURBON
· PROBABLE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES
· FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
· FALL MEET LEADERS

NO BREEDERS’ CUP DECISION YET ON JUDDMONTE SPINSTER
WINNER ROMANTIC VISION
Trainer Rusty Arnold never has been to Del Mar, site of this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 3-4.
“I have been to a lot of tracks … been to Hollywood Park and Santa Anita, but never to Del Mar because I am always at Saratoga when they run and have been since 1982,” Arnold said.
That could change in a few weeks after Romantic Vision’s two-length victory in Sunday’s Juddmonte Spinster (G1), which earned the G. Watts Humphrey homebred a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) on Nov. 3.
“Mr. Humphrey will take a day or two and see how she’s doing,” said Arnold, who won the 1997 Juddmonte Spinster with Clear Mandate for Humphrey. “He will weigh the plusses and minuses and make a decision. My inclination is that she will (go to the Breeders’ Cup). There is a lot of upside and no downside.
“If she had run second and been beaten nose, I know what the decision would be: the Falls City,” Arnold continued, referring to the $200,000 Grade 2 race on Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs. “Whatever her next race is will be her last. The only question is where. Until yesterday, we already had a game plan for the seven weeks until the Falls City.”
Sunday’s victory over a sloppy track was the second huge effort of 2017 on an off track for Romantic Vision, who was second in the La Troienne (G1) at Churchill in May.
“I know there is not much chance of an off track at Del Mar, but she has run well on fast tracks,” Arnold said. “She won here in the spring on a fast track and the Locust Grove (G3) she won at Churchill was fast.
“The only bad race she ran was the Fleur de Lis (G2 at Churchill in June) and I don’t know why. She got beat 17 lengths and the rider (Julien Leparoux) said going into the first turn that her mind was not in it. The only possible thing I can think of was that it was night racing. Maybe that was it.”
After the Fleur de Lis, Romantic Vision finished last in the Summer Colony at Saratoga.
“In her race at Saratoga, she fell on her head leaving the gate and when Javier (Castellano) got her straightened up, she was six or seven lengths behind the last horse,” Arnold said. “After that, Javier just took care of her.”

CASSE BARN MAKES RIGHT CALL WITH FLAMEAWAY IN DIXIANA BOURBON
John Oxley’s Flameaway, winner of Sunday’s off-the-turf Dixiana Bourbon, received a glowing report on his status the morning after the performance from David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse.
“He came back fine and ate up everything,” Carroll said of Flameaway, whose victory made Casse the first trainer to win the race three consecutive years.
The main question yesterday was whether to run Flameaway in the Dixiana Bourbon after the race was moved off the grass because nearly 24 hours of constant rain had saturated the turf course.
“My vote was to go because he was training so well,” Carroll said. “He had trained like a different horse since the Iroquois (G3 at Churchill Downs on Sept. 16).”
In the Iroquois, Flameaway was sixth in a field of 10, beaten 12¼ lengths.
“In the Iroquois, he was jumping up and down trying to avoid the kickback,” Carroll said. “At Saratoga, he just skipped over the mud (in winning the Skidmore, another race rained off the turf).”
Casse, who returned to Ocala, Florida, Sunday night, said via text that Flameaway would remain at Keeneland to train for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) to be run Nov. 3 at Del Mar.
Flameaway received a fees-paid berth to the race from the Breeders’ Cup even though the “Win and You’re In” race was moved off the grass.
“I doubt we would have gone (to the Breeders’ Cup) without the Win and You’re In,” Casse said via text.

PROBABLE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES
$100,000 BUFFALO TRACE FRANKLIN COUNTY (G3) (Entries taken Tuesday; race Friday) – Always Thinking (Tom Albertrani), Boom Bam Bing (Karl Broberg), Justa Lady (Steve Asmussen), Miss Ella (Graham Motion), Morticia (Rusty Arnold), Nobody’s Fault (Neil Pessin), Ring Knocker (Mike Maker), Ruby Notion (Wesley Ward), Scatter Gun (Pessin) and Triple Chelsea (Joe Sharp).
$500,000 QUEEN ELIZABETH II CHALLENGE CUP PRESENTED BY LANE’S END (G1) (Entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday) – Invitees: Beau Recall (IRE) (Simon Callaghan), Con Te Partiro (Wesley Ward), Daddys Lil Darling (Kenny McPeek), Dream Dancing (Mark Casse), La Coronel (Casse), Madam Dancealot (IRE) (Richard Baltas), New Money Honey (Chad Brown), Proctor’s Ledge (Brendan Walsh), Unforgetable Filly (GB) (Hugo Palmer), Uni (GB) (Brown) and Wuheida (GB) (Charles Appleby).

FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
Tuesday, Oct. 10
Official Keeneland Tours – During the Fall Meet, guided tours are offered Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Fans also can receive an insider view of racing on the Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tours and a Backstretch Tour and Day at the Races on other days.
Wednesday, Oct. 11
WINS-Day Challenge. An inexpensive way for beginning handicappers to test their skills and give handicapping contests a try, the WINS-Day Challenge has a $2,500 guaranteed pool. Enter for $10 at Wagering Central (first floor of the Grandstand) and place a mythical $2 win and place wager – no actual money required – on Keeneland races 3-8.
Thursday, Oct. 12
10th Anniversary Make-A-Wish Day. Keeneland and area Thoroughbred farms and organizations are proud to partner with Make-A-Wish in this annual event, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary by granting wishes for 10 deserving children. Fans can support the Make-A-Wish Foundation and cheer on these children as they present the trophies after each race as part of their VIP day at the races. Sponsors are Ashford Stud, Flaxman Holdings/Frizzy Foundation, Gainesway Farm, Godolphin, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Keeneland, Lane’s End Farm, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Shadwell Farm and Shawnee Farm.
Friday, Oct. 13
Jockey Autograph Signing. Meet jockeys competing during the Fall Meet as well as retired jockeys – from Hall of Famers to history makers and Keeneland favorites – and participate in an autograph signing to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Buffalo Trace Giveaway. Patrons may enter to win a VIP Buffalo Trace Distillery Experience: a private behind-the-scenes tour of Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky; lunch with Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley; and a private whiskey tasting. The first 2,000 people to register will receive a free Buffalo Trace drawstring bag. Registration table is located Trackside near Elevator C beginning at noon and continuing while supplies last.

The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents a trunk show with Darren K. Moore adjacent to the Walking Ring from 11 a.m. to 30 minutes after final post.

Friday Pick 4 Presented by TVG. A $200,000-guaranteed pool will be offered on the final four races of the day.

Saturday, Oct. 14
Keeneland Fall Challenge. The handicapping contest has a $400 buy-in with a live bankroll of $250 and $150 prize fund fee. Players may wager any amount on any Keeneland race with no minimum wagers or number of races.
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 Stuart Muir, a farrier at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital (9 a.m.); trackside handicapping seminar with Paddock Host Katie Gensler (11 a.m.); and Q&A session with a jockey in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.).

The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents a trunk show with Darren K. Moore adjacent to the Walking Ring from 11 a.m. to 30 minutes after final post.
The Keeneland Shop presents a book signing with Caleb Fares, illustrator of the new Made South Keeneland Coloring Book, from 2-4 p.m. Both children and adults will enjoy this entertaining way to explore the history and beauty of Keeneland through maps and illustrations. Click here for a video about the Keeneland Coloring Book.

Keeneland is holding a Keeneland Coloring Contest in celebration of the new Coloring Book. Fans can enter by uploading a photo of their finished work to Instagram: Tag @shopkeeneland and include the hashtag #keenelandcoloringbook. Keeneland will announce winners via Instagram on Oct. 19. The lucky winner receives a reserved Grandstand box for up to six and a Keeneland Kids Club gift crate.

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’ handicapping questions. On Saturdays, the area’s favorite bluegrass bands perform from 12-4 p.m.
$350,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 Presented by TVG. Features races 7-10, including the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1).
Sunday, Oct. 15
Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge/National Handicapping Challenge – The prestigious event awards cash prizes and as many as six spots in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at Del Mar and 10 spots in the National Handicapping Challenge in Las Vegas in February 2018. The contest can accommodate up to 170 players, with a total entry fee of $3,000 ($2,000 live bankroll and $1,000 prize fund).

Kids Club Family Day. The Keeneland Kids Club is the Official Kids Club for fans 12 and younger. Kids Club members and their families are invited to enjoy a special day at the races by receiving free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating. Children’s activities will take place in the North Terrace from noon to 3 p.m.

The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents a trunk show with Darren K. Moore adjacent to the Walking Ring from 11 a.m. to 30 minutes after final post.

FALL MEET LEADERS
Through Oct. 8 (three days of racing)
Jockey
Starts
Wins
2nd
3rd
Purses

Julien Leparoux
22
7
2
1
$713,576
Robby Albarado
18
4
0
2
$428,396
Luis Saez
17
3
2
0
$139,325
Brian Hernandez Jr.
18
2
3
3
$588,753
Florent Geroux
13
2
3
1
$403,840
James Graham
7
2
0
2
$140,887