Keeneland Barn Notes — Thursday, Oct. 19

Posted On 20 Oct 2017

By Amy Owens —-

THURSDAY, OCT. 19
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.
**********

· APPLE BETTY (IRE) HEADLINES FIELD OF 10 FOR SUNDAY’S
ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER
· MATZ TRIO SET FOR WEEKEND KEENELAND STAKES
· JOURNEY HOME CAN COMPLETE PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW HAT TRICK FOR MOTION
· NONNA MELA GIVES PLETCHER SHOT AT SECOND LEXUS RAVEN RUN VICTORY
· GALLOPING OUT
· PROBABLE FIELD FOR CLOSING-DAY HAGYARD FAYETTE
· BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS STABLED AT KEENELAND
· FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
· FALL MEET LEADERS

APPLE BETTY (IRE) HEADLINES FIELD OF 10 FOR SUNDAY’S
ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER
Allen Stable’s Apple Betty (IRE) tops a field of 10 fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday’s 26th running of the $125,000 Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3).
The Rood & Riddle Dowager, run at 1½ miles on the turf, will go as the eighth race on Sunday’s nine-race program with a 4:57 p.m. ET post time. First post time is 1:05 p.m.
Now trained by Shug McGaughey, Apple Betty made her U.S. debut in last year’s Rood & Riddle Dowager for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and was beaten a nose at the wire by Elektrum (IRE).
Fourth in the Waya (G3) in her most recent start on Aug. 5, Apple Betty will be ridden by John Velazquez and break from post position seven.
The Rood & Riddle Dowager will feature the third matchup this year between Apple Betty and Jack Swain III’s Lottie.
Apple Betty finished a half-length in front of Lottie in the 1½-mile River Memories at Belmont on July 9 with Lottie finishing 1¾ lengths in front of Apple Betty in the Waya, also at a mile and a half.
Graham Motion trains Lottie, who will break from post position two and be ridden by Jose Ortiz.
The field for the Rood & Riddle Dowager, with riders and weights, is: Bootsy’s Girl (Channing Hill, 121 pounds), Lottie (Ortiz, 121), Place des Vosges (Florent Geroux, 121), Coco Channel (Julie Burke, 118), Daring Duchess (Julien Leparoux, 121), Promotional (Corey Lanerie, 121), Apple Betty (IRE) (Velazquez, 121), Polar Vortex (Ty Kennedy, 118), Daddy’s Boo (Jose Valdivia Jr., 121), Grateful (Manny Franco, 118).

MATZ TRIO SET FOR KEENELAND STAKES ACTION
Trainer Michael Matz, who is one-for-one at the Keeneland Fall Meet, will send out horses in the next three stakes here, starting today with Tasit in the $100,000 Sycamore (G3). Matz will saddle Ladies’ Privilege in the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (G3) Friday and Tequilita in Saturday’s $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2).
Augustin Stable’s Tasit, who will be trying 1½ miles for the first time in the Sycamore, won an allowance at Keeneland before he was sidelined for a year. The now 4-year-old gelding by Tapit returned to Keeneland in April for his first start of 2017, finishing fourth in an allowance. He most recently ran fifth in the Sept. 23 Alphabet Soup at Parx.
“He’s in good form, he’s been gelded as well, but he’s still himself,” assistant Joss Saville said. “But he loves it here, it’s his favorite place. (The mile and a half) will be no problem for him. I think it will take just getting him to relax at the beginning – he loves the distance, that’s the best thing for him.”
Dorothy Matz’s Ladies’ Privilege, who won the Sept. 16 Hall of Fame at Parx, will try graded company for the first time in the Pin Oak Valley View.
“She’s improved all year; she’s gotten stronger and stronger,” Saville said about the 3-year-old daughter of Harlan’s Holiday. “She ran a nice race here in the spring in a maiden on the grass, and then she broke her maiden (July 22 at Parx). We didn’t get a good draw (post 14 in the Pin Oak Valley View), but it is what it is. We just have to make the best of it. She’s in good form.”
Tequilita, also owned by Dorothy Matz, earned her first career victory at Keeneland a year ago before embarking on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) trail and finishing seventh in the race. In the Aug. 5 Test (G1) at Saratoga she dropped back in distance to 7 furlongs and ran third then won the Charles Town Oaks (G3) by 1¼ lengths at that distance Sept. 23.
“It was just (a matter of) trying to find the right races for her,” Saville said.
With the Lexus Raven Run as the target, Saville said they explored three races after the Test for the daughter of Union Rags: the Cotillion (G1) at Parx, Charles Town Oaks and Dogwood at Churchill Downs.
“(The Lexus Raven Run) was the main plan, so we opted for the Charles Town Oaks,” he said. “She’s come out of it great and she’s in really good form coming into this weekend. She’s training like a monster.”

JOURNEY HOME CAN COMPLETE PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW
HAT TRICK FOR MOTION
In 2016 when Quidura (GB) won the Pin Oak Valley View (G3), trainer Graham Motion became the first trainer to win consecutive runnings of the race.
On Friday, Sam-Son Farm’s Journey Home will give Motion a shot at a third consecutive victory in the 1 1/16-mile grass test for 3-year-old fillies.
“She is a big, strong filly and more like (2015 Pin Oak Valley View winner) Tiger Ride at this stage of her career than Quidura, who we had just gotten in the barn and had run only once for us,” said Alice Clapham, Motion’s longtime assistant. “She has really filled out as the year has gone on and if she runs next year should be even better.”
Winner of the Jimmy Durante (G3) last fall at Del Mar, Journey Home comes into Friday’s race off a narrow loss to Fault in the Pucker Up (G3) at Arlington on Aug. 12. Jose Ortiz has the return riding call.
On Sunday, Motion will send out Jack Swain III’s Lottie in the 26th running of the Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) at 1½ miles on the Keeneland turf course.
“She has been getting better as she has switched to longer races,” Clapham said of the 4-year-old daughter of Arch, whose best stakes finish this year was second in the Waya (G3) at Saratoga at the Rood & Riddle Dowager distance.
In her most recent start, the Glens Falls (G3) at Saratoga on Sept. 2, Lottie finished fifth going
1 3/8 miles.
“She does better with more space between her races,” Clapham said. “There are not a lot of these (1½-mile) races that come up. They don’t run these every week.”

NONNA MELA GIVES PLETCHER SHOT
AT SECOND LEXUS RAVEN RUN VICTORY
Keeneland’s 2017 Fall Meet has been quiet so far for trainer Todd Pletcher, Keeneland’s all-time leader in stakes victories with 52. A dozen stakes have been run, but Pletcher has had only three starters with his best finish coming with Stainless, runner-up in the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) on Oct. 11.
The Pletcher beat figures to heat up with three stakes entrants this week and the likely start from
$2.2 million earner Neolithic in the closing-day $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2).
Pletcher will send out Claiborne Farm’s Chastise for her stakes debut in Friday’s $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (G3), and St. Elias Stable’s Nonna Mela will attempt to give Pletcher his second victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2). Pletcher won the 2010 running with Hilda’s Passion.
Second in the slop at Saratoga in the Prioress (G2) in her most recent start, Nonna Mela will be making her third start of 2017 on Saturday.
“She just got some time off,” said Ginny DePasquale, who is in charge of Pletcher’s Keeneland string. “Sometimes they just need that. Todd has always liked her.”
The 3-year-old daughter of Arch won the Adirondack (G2) by six lengths at Saratoga last summer before going on the shelf for 10 months following a fourth-place finish in the Frizette (G1).
“She has been at Saratoga and just got here a couple days ago,” DePasquale said. “She is training well and likes it here.”
Pletcher also will be represented in Sunday’s Rood & Riddle Dowager (G3) with Jerry and Ronald Frankel’ Grateful.

GALLOPING OUT
Godolphin’s Wuheida (GB), who was scratched from last Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1) because of a minor hoof issue, returned to the track Thursday for the first time since a 5-furlong turf work on Oct. 12.
With exercise rider Kirsty Milczarek aboard, Wuheida was accompanied by a lead pony for nearly one circuit of the main track before completing a full circuit at a leisurely pace.
“She looked nice and settled,” said Tim Denniff, traveling lad for trainer Charles Appleby. “This is so different from at home with a private yard. There she would go for a canter and be all by herself where here there are horses all around her.”
Wuheida is scheduled to fly to Del Mar Oct. 25 to run in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1). …
Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and Godolphin’s Nezwaah (GB) arrived at Keeneland’s quarantine barn Wednesday night after a 13-hour van ride from Woodbine, where she finished fifth as the favorite in the E.P. Taylor (G1).
“We went there for fast ground and a storm blew in and it was too soft for her,” said Wayne Tanner, who is traveling with the Roger Varian trainee.
Nezwaah, a 4-year-old filly who won the Pretty Polly (G1) at the Curragh this year, is being considered for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) or the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1). She is scheduled to fly to California next week.
“I would think they would look over both races and then make a decision,” Tanner said.
Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup close Monday with fields being released Wednesday. …
Petrov, who delivered by a length as the 4-5 favorite in Wednesday’s third race, an allowance optional claimer, will be heading to Ohio next month, according to trainer and part owner Ron Moquett.
“He’s going to go to the Steel Valley Sprint,” Moquett said. “That gives me 200,000 reasons to go to Mahoning Valley (in Ohio). After that, the ($300,000 Grade 1) Malibu (at Santa Anita on Dec. 26).”
Moquett said Whitmore, winner of the opening-day Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2), is scheduled to work at Churchill Downs Oct. 29 and fly to Del Mar the next day for the $1.5 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) on Nov. 4. …
Trainer Robert C. Cline recorded his first Keeneland victory when he won Wednesday’s fourth race with My Dark Secret. Alex Canchari rode her to a 4¾-length victory in the about 7-furlong race in 1:29.24. Cline co-owns the 2-year-old Maclean’s Music filly with Gregory Erwin. …
Calumet Farm’s Quiet Business, winner of this spring’s Bewitch (G3) at Keeneland, has been retired, according to trainer Rusty Arnold. The 4-year-old daughter of Quiet American ends her career with a record of 14-3-2-0 with earnings of $197,610.

PROBABLE FIELD FOR CLOSING-DAY HAGYARD FAYETTE
$200,000 HAGYARD FAYETTE (G2) (Entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, Oct. 28) – Eagle (trainer Neil Howard), Giuseppe the Great (Nick Zito), Honorable Duty (Brendan Walsh), McCraken (Ian Wilkes), Neolithic (Todd Pletcher), Texas Chrome (Allen Milligan) and The Player (Buff Bradley).

BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS STABLED AT KEENELAND
Keeneland is home to several potential contenders for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Del Mar on Nov. 3-4.
Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Here are the trainers and their possible Breeders’ Cup runners:
Trainer (Barn)
Horse
Breeders’ Cup Race
Last Race
Most Recent Work Since Last Race

Charlie Appleby (quarantine)
Wuheida (GB)
Filly and Mare Turf
4th 10/1 Prix de l’Opera (G1) @Chantilly (scratched from 10/14 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1) @KEE

Rusty Arnold (60)
Romantic Vision
Distaff
Won 10/8 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) @KEE

Chad Brown (30)
Rushing Fall
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Won 10/11 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) @KEE

Mark Casse (37-38)
Flameaway
Juvenile Turf
Won 10/8 Dixiana Bourbon (G3) @KEE

Heavenly Love
Juvenile Fillies
Won 10/6 Darley Alcibiades (G1) @KEE

Gio Game
Juvenile Fillies
Won 10/6 maiden @KEE

Brian Lynch (40)
Oscar Performance
Turf
3rd 9/30 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) @BEL
10/15 @KEE: 4f/turf in :49.60

Kenny McPeek (70)
Princess Warrior
Juvenile Fillies
2nd 10/6 Darley Alcibiades (G1) @KEE

Todd Pletcher (27)
Stainless
Juvenile Fillies Turf/Juvenile Fillies
2nd 10/11 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G3) @KEE

Mike Stidham (2)
Zipessa
Filly and Mare Turf
Won 10/7 First Lady (G1) @KEE

Roger Varian (quarantine)
Nezwaah (GB)
Turf/Filly and Mare Turf
5th in 10/15 E.P. Taylor (G1) @WO

Wesley Ward (47, 68)
Battle Station
Juvenile
Won 9/22 Bertram F. Bongard @BEL
10/15 @KEE: 5f in 1:00

Fairyland
Juvenile Fillies Turf
2nd 8/16 Bolton Landing @SAR
10/15 @KEE: 5f/turf in 1:03.20

Hemp Hemp Hurray
Juvenile Turf
2nd 9/17 Summer (G2) @WO
10/15 @KEE: 5f/turf in 1:05.60

Lady Aurelia
Turf Sprint
2nd 8/25 Coolmore Nunthorpe (G1) @York
10/12 @KEE: 5f/turf in 1:01.80

Ultima D
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Won 9/6 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies @KD
10/15 @KEE: 5f/turf in 1:02.80

FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
Friday, Oct. 20
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.
College Scholarship Day – Full-time college students receive free general admission and the chance to win one of ten $1,000 scholarships awarded after each race. A $10,000 Runhappy Scholarship also will be awarded. Click here to preregister before 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 19. On Friday, registration will take place in Keeneland’s College Zone in the North Terrace. Students will enjoy music, free snacks and prize drawings.
Pin Oak Bluegrass Exacta Sweepstakes. On the day of the $150,000 Pin Oak Valley View (G3), fans can sign up for a chance to win a package for Keeneland’s 2018 Spring Meet that includes a private tour of Pin Oak Stud near Versailles, Kentucky, and an afternoon at the Keeneland races with lunch in the Equestrian Room. There also will be a chance to win a Keeneland gift basket. The sign-up table is on the ground level, trackside from Elevator C from noon to 2:30 p.m. ET.

The Woodford Humane Society will have an information table where fans can sign up to win a Keeneland gift basket. Sign-up table is located on the ground level, trackside from Elevator C from noon to 3 p.m.
The Keeneland Shop’s Milliners Corner presents a trunk show with Lela Ray Jewelry adjacent to the Walking Ring from 11 a.m. to 30 minutes after final post.

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.

Friday Pick 4 Presented by TVG. A $200,000-guaranteed pool will be offered on the final four races of the day, including the Pin Oak Valley View (G3).

Saturday, Oct. 21
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 Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (9 a.m.); trackside handicapping seminar with Paddock Host Katie Gensler (11 a.m.); and Q&A session with jockey James Graham in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.).

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

$350,000 Guaranteed Pick 4 Presented by TVG. Features races 7-10, including the Lexus Raven Run (G2).
Sunday, Oct. 22
Heroes Day Delivered by Papa John’s – Keeneland recognizes the men and women who serve our community. All military (active duty and veterans), first responders – law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs – and their families will receive free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating. Free food, children’s activities and more will be offered in the North Terrace from Noon-4 p.m.