Keeneland Barn Notes — Saturday, Oct. 21

By Amy Owens —-

SATURDAY, OCT. 21
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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· WARD PLEASED WITH LADY AURELIA’S FINAL KEENELAND WORK BEFORE BREEDERS’ CUP RUN
· PRINCESS WARRIOR TUNES UP FOR BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES
· PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW WINNER LOVELY BERNADETTE TARGETS MRS. REVERE AT CHURCHILL DOWNS
· CONSISTENT HONORABLE DUTY PREPS FOR HAGYARD FAYETTE
· GALLOPING OUT
· BREEDERS’ CUP HORSES STABLED AT KEENELAND
· FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
· FALL MEET LEADERS

WARD PLEASED WITH LADY AURELIA’S FINAL KEENELAND WORK
BEFORE BREEDERS’ CUP RUN
Trainer Wesley Ward was excited after Stonestreet Stables and Peter Leidel’s Keeneland-based European champion Lady Aurelia turned in her final Keeneland work Saturday, a day before she leaves for Southern California and her next start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) on Nov. 4 at Del Mar.
Working to the inside of Master Merion, Lady Aurelia and rider Julio Garcia covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.80. Master Merion’s time was 1:01.40. (Click here for a video of the work.)
“That was beautiful,” Ward said. “That’s exactly what you want to see. I matched her with a good opponent today, and she kinda pulled away from him with ease with Julio sitting (with) feet in the dashboard. It was a work you want to see before she gets on a plane tomorrow.
“Was very nice. She settled behind him and came right up through on the inside and pricked her ears right there at the finish to where you could tell Julio had her nice and relaxed (with) speed to spare. The turbo button – he didn’t push it today. We still got it left in us.”
At Del Mar, Lady Aurelia will be with Ward assistant Blake Heap, who has accompanied the 3-year-old Scat Daddy filly on her trips to England.
“We’ll pony her a couple days just to get her settled in off this work. Just keep her happy,” he said about her upcoming schedule. “Then we’ll start galloping her and probably have a nice easy breeze – half-mile breeze – over the weekend.”
Lady Aurelia, who last year won her career debut at Keeneland on dirt before taking the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot and the Darley Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville, opened 2017 with a win in Keeneland’s Giant’s Causeway (L) during the Spring Meet followed by a victory in the King’s Stand (G1) at Royal Ascot in June and a narrow loss in the Coolmore Nunthorpe (G1) at York in August. Today’s work was Lady Aurelia’s fourth since her last race.
The filly leads the Ward contingent at Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup or supporting stakes. Ward said he’s leaning toward running Master Merion there in the Nov. 1 Let It Ride Stakes.
Also working 5 furlongs Saturday for Ward were Ultima D (Juvenile Fillies Turf-G1; 1:03.20) and Hemp Hemp Hurray (Juvenile Turf-G1; 1:02.80) in company with McErin (Qatar Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 4 on the Breeders’ Cup undercard; 1:03.40).
Another Ward trainee heading to California is Fairyland, who also is pointed at the Qatar Juvenile Turf Sprint.

PRINCESS WARRIOR TUNES UP FOR BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES
Evan, Andrew and Matthew Trommer’s Princess Warrior, runner-up in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) on Oct. 6, opening day of Keeneland’s Fall Meet, worked 4 furlongs in :48.60 Saturday morning in preparation for her next start in the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) on Nov. 3 at Del Mar.
Brian Hernandez Jr., who has been aboard in both of her races, was in the saddle. (Click here for a video of the work.)
“I told Brian to just sit on her for the (first part of the workout) and let her run the last quarter of a mile,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “She has such a long stride. I love the way she finished and galloped out. She is a real professional for such a young filly.”
In her career debut, Princess Warrior rallied from off the pace and drew clear for a 1½-length victory in a six-furlong maiden race at Churchill Downs on Sept. 16.
Evan Trommer, along with wife Kathy and sons Andrew and Matthew, watched the work from the Keeneland Grandstand. Trommer said he named the filly by Midshipman for a saying on his wife’s coffee mug: “Some days I am a princess. Some days I am a warrior. Choose wisely.”
“We are a sarcastic family and I told her I wanted to name the filly for her,” Evan Trommer said.
Princess Warrior is scheduled to fly to Del Mar from Louisville on Tuesday.

PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW WINNER LOVELY BERNADETTE TARGETS
MRS. REVERE AT CHURCHILL DOWNS
Trainer Jimmy DiVito was a happy camper Sunday morning at Churchill Downs where Lovely Bernadette returned after an authoritative 1½-length victory in Friday afternoon’s Pin Oak Valley View (G3) for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland.
“It’s all good this morning,” DiVito said of Lovely Bernadette, a daughter of Wilburn who returned to Louisville Friday night. “She ran a really good race and I would say it was her best. She had run a good time (1:35.37) in winning the Indiana Grand at a mile, but this race was impressive and getting a mile and sixteenth is another plus.”
Owned by James Miller, Lovely Bernadette will be pointed to the $200,000 Mrs. Revere (G2) going
1 1/16 miles on Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs over a turf course on which she is one-for-one. “That’s the plan now,” DiVito said.
Sam-Son Farm’s Journey Home, who rallied from far back to finish second as the favorite, came up short in her bid to give trainer Graham Motion a third consecutive victory in the race.
“She’s good this morning,” said Alice Clapham, Motion’s assistant at Keeneland. “She ran a great race and we were happy with her. That would have been some stretch run if she had gotten there.”
No decision has been made on the next race for Journey Home nor for third-place finisher I’m Betty G, who set the pace.
“There are no plans at the moment,” said Nolan Ramsey, assistant to trainer Mike Maker regarding I’m Betty G, who is owned by Three Diamonds Farm. “She tries every time and she ran her heart out yesterday. It was just a little too tough.”

CONSISTENT HONORABLE DUTY PREPS FOR HAGYARD FAYETTE
Trainer Brendan Walsh wore a smile of quiet satisfaction as he waited for DARRS Inc.’s Honorable Duty to exit Keeneland’s main track after working 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 Saturday morning after the renovation break.
A three-time graded stakes winner in 2017, Honorable Duty posted fractions of :12.40, :24.60, :36.40, :49.40 and out 6 furlongs in 1:13.40 in preparation for next Saturday’s $200,000 Hagyard Fayette (G2) at 1 1/8 miles on the main track.
“You can’t go any better than that,” Walsh said of the 5-year-old son of Distorted Humor.
It was the second Keeneland work for Honorable Duty, who had breezed a half-mile in :51.40 on Oct. 14, his first work since winning the Lukas Classic (G3) at Churchill Downs on Sept. 30.
Honorable Duty had finished fifth in the 2016 Lukas Classic, but since has posted a record of
6-4-2-0 for earnings of $654,520 with his lone losses coming in the Alysheba (G2) to Bird Song and the Stephen Foster (G1) to possible Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) favorite Gun Runner.
“We gelded him (after the Lukas last year),” Walsh said. “We had to do something with him. After the Lukas Classic last year, we gave him some time off until (the Fair Grounds meet in) New Orleans.”
At Fair Grounds, Honorable Duty won three stakes in three attempts before returning to Churchill.
“I think he has improved since the Stephen Foster,” Walsh said. “He is calmer and more professional. We are looking for a good race next week and then hopefully go to the Clark (G1 at Churchill on Nov. 24).”
Entries for the Hagyard Fayette will be taken Wednesday. Expected to join Honorable Duty in the race are Eagle (trainer Neil Howard), Giuseppe the Great (Nick Zito), McCraken (Ian Wilkes), Neolithic (Todd Pletcher), Texas Chrome (Allen Milligan) and The Player (Buff Bradley).
On Saturday, Mossarosa’s Giuseppe the Great, third in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) in his most recent start, worked a half-mile in :50.20 on the fast main track in preparation for the Hagyard Fayette (G2). Giuseppe the Great won his first race here this spring and since has finished second in the Woody Stephens (G2) and Jim Dandy (G2).

GALLOPING OUT
Trainer Michelle Boyce earned her first Keeneland win when Bourbon Cowboy took Friday’s third race. Julien Leparoux rode the 5-year-old Cowboy Cal gelding to a half-length victory in the
6-furlong race in 1:10.14 Bourbon Cowboy races for Kevin Marco, Paul Holmes, Michael Schroeck, Tim Fella and Tim Clement. …
Edwin Gonzalez recorded his first Keeneland win two races later aboard Ramona Bass’ Quail Hunt. Trained by Michael Matz, the 2-year-old Trappe Shot gelding scored a 2¾-length victory in the 1 1/16-mile turf race. His time was 1:45.26.

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
10/20 @KEE: 5f in 1:00

Heavenly Love
Juvenile Fillies
Won 10/6 Darley Alcibiades (G1) @KEE
10/20 @KEE: 5f in 1:00
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
10/21 @KEE:
4f in :48.60

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)
Hemp Hemp Hurray
Juvenile Turf
2nd 9/17 Summer (G2) @WO
10/21 @KEE: 5 furlongs in 1:02.80

Lady Aurelia
Turf Sprint
2nd 8/25 Coolmore Nunthorpe (G1) @York
10/21 @KEE:
5 furlongs in 1:00.80

Ultima D
Juvenile Fillies Turf
Won 9/6 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies @KD
10/21 @KEE: 5 furlongs in 1:03.20

FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
Saturday, Oct. 21

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. 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 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.