Keeneland Barn Notes — Friday, Oct. 12

By Amy Owens —-

Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet concludes Saturday, Oct. 27, with racing
Wednesdays through Sundays. Post time for the first race each day is 1:05 pm. ET.
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• JARRED JOURNET THRILLED WITH INITIAL KEENELAND WIN
• THURSDAY CARD INCLUDES FIRST-TIME KEENELAND WINNERS
• COX TO USE SYCAMORE AS BREEDERS’ CUP PREP FOR ARKLOW
• #JUSTIFYANDI SELFIE CONTEST VISITS KEENELAND WITH LIFE-SIZE CUTOUT; EQUILOTTERY TEAMS WITH NTRA TO GIVE AWAY VIP ECLIPSE AWARDS TRIP
• HOT CHA CHA DELIVERED GRADE 1 GOODS FOR SIMS, GRAHAM
• TRAINER GARGAN PLANS TO EXPAND KEENELAND PRESENCE IN 2019
• UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES
• FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
• FALL MEET LEADERS

JARRED JOURNET THRILLED WITH INITIAL KEENELAND WIN

Louisiana’s Cajun country is well known as the birthplace of such Hall of Fame riders as Calvin Borel, Eddie Delahoussaye, Kent Desormeaux and Randy Romero; leading current Keeneland jockeys Robby Albarado, Brian Hernandez Jr., Corey Lanerie; and former successful Keeneland jockey Larry Melancon. One of the region’s latest riding representatives is Jarred Journet, who earned his first Keeneland victory Wednesday when he piloted 52-1 longshot Small Town Hero to win the second race by a neck.

Journet is proud of the region’s riding heritage, which also includes his cousin and Keeneland jockey C.J. McMahon. (McMahon scored his first Keeneland win Thursday.)

“Everybody knows everybody back home,” Journet said. “They keep up with their riders.”

From Carencro, Louisiana, Journet, 21, began riding in April 2016 at Evangeline Downs, where he scored his first win two months later. Now riding mostly at Thistledown and Mountaineer, Journet said he came to Keeneland upon the suggestion of trainer Kim Puhl, who decided to race a few horses here this season.

Journet made his Keeneland debut Oct. 5 and had one mount on each of the Fall Meet’s opening three days. His best finish came Sunday when he was third aboard 39-1 longshot Reward the Miracle in the $200,000 Indian Summer, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race.

His longshot victory three days later came for Puhl and owner Boggs Silver Racing.

“I guarantee I had like a hundred phone calls (after the win),” Journet said. “Everybody was calling me – trainers, exercise riders, grooms, hot walkers all calling me to congratulate me. I cried a couple of times (talking) with my dad.”

Competing at Keeneland against some of the sport’s finest jockeys has Journet especially excited.

“I try not to get starstruck,” he said. “Some guys here are my idols, and still to this day I watch them on my off days. It’s nice to ride with them. When I come back after a race, they want my opinion on something I did and asked me what I thought out there. It’s special.”

THURSDAY CARD INCLUDES FIRST-TIME KEENELAND WINNERS

Several trainers and jockeys earned their first Keeneland victories during Thursday’s 10-race card.

Trainer Clarke Vesty sent out Courtmewithcarats to win the second race. Vesty also owns Courtmewithcarats, a 4-year-old Court Vision filly ridden by Samuel Camacho Jr. She won the 6-furlong race by 3¼ lengths in 1:11.41.

Jockey C.J. McMahon earned his first Keeneland victory when he won the fifth race on Irish Oak, a 2-year-old Double Irish gelding trained by William VanMeter for owner Shortleaf Stable. Irish Oak won the 6-furlong race by one length in 1:12.44.

Trainer Norm Casse sent out Angel of Mischief to win the seventh race by 1¾ lengths from Bridaled Temper, a horse trained by his father, Mark Casse. Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Angel of Mischief is a 3-year-old Into Mischief filly owned by Glencrest Farm and Hold Your Horses. She won the 1 1/16-mile allowance race on turf in 1:43.71.

“Dad wasn’t here but I gladly would have bought dinner,” said Norm, who went out on his own six months ago after serving as an assistant to his father, the winner of 21 Keeneland stakes. The younger Casse has 28 horses in his barn, which is divided between here and Churchill Downs.

COX TO USE SYCAMORE AS BREEDERS’ CUP PREP FOR ARKLOW

While most of the heavy lifting for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs figures to be complete this weekend, trainer Brad Cox will use Keeneland’s $100,000 Sycamore (G3) at 1½ miles next Thursday as a likely springboard to the $4 million Turf (G1) for Arklow.
“Preparing for the (1½-mile) Turf, it is not about the fastest but the fittest,” Cox said of Arklow, who worked Friday morning on the dirt at Churchill in :49.80 for a half-mile. Arklow is owned by the partnership of Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway.
“I thought about the Canadian race (the $800,000 Pattison Canadian International-G1 at 1½ miles tomorrow at Woodbine), but it is too tough.”
So Cox will bring Arklow back to Keeneland, where he broke his maiden in his turf debut in April 2017 for the Sycamore.
“I know he liked (the turf at Keeneland) a year and a half ago,” Cox said with a laugh. “I will probably bring him over a couple of days before the race.”
Following his maiden victory, Arklow won the 2017 American Turf (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day but after two subpar efforts in New York in the summer went on the shelf until February at Fair Grounds.
In 2018, Arklow has compiled a 6-3-1-0 record and brings a two-race win streak into the Sycamore. In his most recent start, Arklow won the Kentucky Turf Cup (G3) at Kentucky Downs going 1½ miles.

#JUSTIFYANDI SELFIE CONTEST VISITS KEENELAND WITH LIFE-SIZE CUTOUT; EQUILOTTERY TEAMS WITH NTRA TO GIVE AWAY
VIP ECLIPSE AWARDS TRIP

A life-size cutout of undefeated 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, a Keeneland sales graduate, will be on display here today and Saturday as the NTRA’s #JustifyandI selfie promotion begins its Road to the Eclipse Awards promotional tour.

The life-size cutout of Justify will appear on The Hill, Keeneland’s designated tailgate lot, today between noon and 4 p.m. ET.

The cutout will appear tomorrow at Sunrise Trackside from 7-10 a.m.

One lucky racing fan in the NTRA’s #JustifyandI selfie promotion will win a free trip for two to Miami for the January 2019 Eclipse Awards – including airfare, two nights at the Turnberry Isle Miami, tickets to the Eclipse Awards ceremony, and more – thanks to EquiLottery, the company offering Kentucky’s Win Place Show, a lottery game based on the results of live horse racing, through select Kentucky Lottery retailers in March.

To enter the Kentucky’s Win Place Show #JustifyandI VIP Fan Experience, fans should post a selfie with Justify (or the life-size cutout) to Twitter and use the hashtag #JustifyandI, which the NTRA established to celebrate Justify and his special connection with horse enthusiasts around the world. Tagging @NTRA on Twitter or posting an image to the wall of the official NTRA Facebook page (Facebook.com/1NTRA) also will count as an official submission. All of the selfies entered will be included in a video montage shown during the Eclipse Awards ceremony.

The winning selfie will be selected by a panel of judges and determined based on the quality and composition of the image, originality and other factors. Fans unable to see Justify in person are encouraged to get creative and submit a #JustifyandI image with the Triple Crown winner on TV in a magazine, or even on a pari-mutuel ticket.

The 48th annual Eclipse Awards, presented by Breeders’ Cup, Daily Racing Form, The Stronach Group and TVG, will be held Jan. 24, 2019, in the Sport of Kings Theatre at Gulfstream Park. The winning prize package also includes backstage access at the Eclipse Awards, a Friday morning tour of the Gulfstream barn area to visit Eclipse Awards finalists and Pegasus World Cup (G1) contenders, passes for live racing at Gulfstream on Jan. 24-25 and tickets to the Friday night Eclipse Awards/Pegasus World Cup party in the Gulfstream walking ring.

Justify sold for $500,000 at the 2016 September Sale.

HOT CHA CHA DELIVERED GRADE 1 GOODS FOR SIMS, GRAHAM

Keeneland will run the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Presented by Lane’s End (G1) for the 35th time Saturday with the record margin of victory in the race owned by Nelson McMakin’s homebred Hot Cha Cha.
“She was doing well coming into the race and I felt good about her,” trainer Phil Sims said of Hot Cha Cha, who rolled to a 4½-length victory over the soft going on turf in the 2009 running. “And she liked cool weather.”
Hot Cha Cha gave Sims his first Grade 1 victory and did the same for jockey James Graham.
“She was a really nice filly,” Graham said. “She was so good in the Pucker Up (G3, the race before the QEII that she won by 1¼ lengths) at Arlington. When we got here, she just reeled them in.
“Phil did a good job of keeping her happy the whole year and then she came back the next year and ran well the whole year.”
Hot Cha Cha raced through her 4-year-old campaign and retired with a record of 19-6-3-5 and earnings of $998,552.

GARGAN PLANS TO EXPAND KEENELAND PRESENCE IN 2019

Trainer Danny Gargan has brought six horses to Keeneland, a figure he would like to expand in 2019.
“I would like to bring all of my 2-year-olds here next spring along with my racehorses,” said Gargan, who ran Virtuous Reality twice here during the 1997 Fall Meet for his lone Keeneland starts. “I would like to stay here until July and then go to Saratoga and Belmont and then come back here. I’d like to buy a house here.”
Gargan could get a down payment on a possible purchase next month if he gets his first Breeders’ Cup starter with Divine Miss Grey in the $2 million Distaff (G1) on Nov 3.
“I haven’t decided on the Distaff or the ($200,000) Chilukki (G2, going a mile the same day),” Gargan said of the 4-year-old filly, who was second in last Saturday’s Beldame (G1) at Belmont Park. “If she runs in the Distaff (at 1 1/8 miles), she would come in to Churchill on the last plane out of New York (Breeders’ Cup week).”
Divine Miss Grey, a four-time stakes winner, is owned by Corms Racing Stable and R.A. Hill Stable.

UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES

$100,000 SYCAMORE (G3) (Entries taken Saturday; race Thursday, Oct. 18) – Arklow (trainer Brad Cox), Bigger Picture (Mike Maker), Campaign (Steve Asmussen), Can’thelpbelieving (IRE) (Graham Motion), Cooptado (ARG) (Tom Morley), Final Copy (Roger Attfield), Nessy (Ian Wilkes), Oscar Nominated (Maker), Teodoro (IRE) (Morley), Zulu Alpha (John Ortiz). Possible: Postulation (Michael Matz).
$150,000 PIN OAK VALLEY VIEW (G3) (Entries taken Sunday; race Friday, Oct. 19) – American Frolic (trainer David Fawkes), Beach Waltz (Mike Maker), Colonia (FR) (Graham Motion), Dark Artist (Jane Cibelli), Get Explicit (Barbara Minshall), High Tech (Ian Wilkes), Mighty Scarlett (Chad Brown), More Fun Again (Tom Proctor), Poetic Charm (GB) (Charles Appleby), Riversethedecision (Brown), Sirenusa (Joe Sharp). Possible: Goodthingstaketime (IRE) (Jorge Abreu).
$250,000 LEXUS RAVEN RUN (G2) (Entries taken Wednesday, Oct. 17; race Saturday, Oct. 20) – Alter Moon (trainer Chad Brown), Amy’s Challenge (Mac Robertson), Blamed (Bill Mott), Bronx Beauty (Anthony Margotta Jr), Chauncey (Steve Asmussen), Divine Queen (Buff Bradley), Dream Pauline (Kiaran McLaughlin), Everyonelovesjimmy (Ian Wilkes), Kelly’s Humor (Brad Cox), Moonshine Memories (Simon Callaghan), Shamrock Rose (Mark Casse), She’s a Gypsy (Helen Pitts-Blasi), She’s Pretty Lucky (Eddie Kenneally), Take Charge Paula (McLaughlin).
$125,000 ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER (G3) (Entries taken Thursday, Oct. 18; race Sunday, Oct. 21) – Daring Duchess (trainer Mike Maker), Res Ipsa (Ian Wilkes), Savannah Belle (Brian Lynch), Vexatious (Neil Drysdale), Viva Vegas (Derek Ryan). Possible: Amboseli (James Cassidy), Beach Flower (Mac Robertson), Coco Channel (Charlie LoPresti).

FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS

Breeders’ Cup VIP Package. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships return to Kentucky Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs and 2020 at Keeneland. In celebration, Keeneland fans may enter to win a VIP package to this year’s event. Click here for more information. Enter by 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 15, 2018.
Through Spring 2019
Keeneland Library exhibit “From the Vault: Historic Tracks.” This exhibit features 26 select images from the Library’s archive that showcase tracks from the early 20th century. Pioneering Turf photographers John C. Hemment and Charles Christian Cook are featured, with additional representation from Joel Clyne Meadors and Robert Lee McClure, among others. The Library is open to the public Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.
The online exhibit “Photo Treasures from the Keeneland Library” presents nearly 100 other historic images of U.S. racing facilities in its “Tracks Gallery.”
Friday, Oct. 12
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. In addition, two $10,000 Runhappy Scholarships (one of which is only available to a student with a tie to the horse industry) will be awarded. Preregistration is available in Keeneland’s College Zone in the North Terrace, where students can enjoy music, free food and prize drawings.
Buffalo Trace VIP Distillery Experience Drawing and Giveaway. The first 2,000 patrons to enter to win a VIP Buffalo Trace Distillery Experience will receive one Buffalo Trace string bag and sunglasses. The drawing and giveaway, located trackside from Elevator C under the Grandstand, opens at 11 a.m. The giveaway continues until supplies last.
The Hill (weather permitting) – Keeneland’s designated tailgate lot offers fans a jumbo screen TV to watch live racing, wager, local food trucks and free shuttles to the Grandstand.
The Keeneland Shop presents a trunk show with Maui Jim and Dorfman Pacific.

$200,000-guaranteed Friday Pick Four Presented by TVG.

Saturday, Oct. 13
Sunrise Trackside. Thoroughbreds and their human connections begin the day well before sunrise. See what they’re up to during Sunrise Trackside, 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 racehorses train on the main track; children’s activities in the Kids Club Corner (7:30-9:30 a.m.); free guided Keeneland tours (7:30-10 a.m.); Paddock demonstration with Dr. Casey Cromer of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital (9 a.m.); and Q&A session with jockey Joe Rocco Jr. in the Paddock (12:05 p.m.).
The Hill (weather permitting). Keeneland’s designated tailgate lot offers fans a jumbo screen TV to watch live racing and football, wagering, live music, local food trucks and free shuttles to the Grandstand.

The Keeneland Shop presents a trunk show with Maui Jim and Dorfman Pacific.

Keeneland Fall Handicapping Challenge. The handicapping contest has a $400 buy-in with a live bankroll of $250 and $150 prize fund fee. Click here for more information.
$300,000-guaranteed Pick Four Presented by TVG.
Sunday, Oct. 14
Owner’s Experience Tour. Click here for more information about this tour and other Official Keeneland Tours.

The Keeneland Shop presents a trunk show with Maui Jim and Dorfman Pacific.

Secretariat Festival Meet and Greet Scenes from the movie “Secretariat” were filmed at Keeneland in 2009, and Keeneland will welcome fans of the legendary horse and those attending the Secretariat Festival. Otto Thorwarth, who portrayed Ron Turcotte in the movie, and Keith Austin, who was Laffit Pincay Jr., will be joined by Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Secretariat’s late owner, Penny Chenery; and Bill Doolittle, author of The Day Time Didn’t Stand Still, for a meet and greet near the Walking Ring from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Kids Club Family Day. The Keeneland Kids Club is the Official Kids Club for fans 12 and younger. On this day, Kids Club members and their families will enjoy a special day at the races with 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.
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 Churchill Downs and 10 spots in the National Handicapping Challenge in Las Vegas in February 2019. The entry fee of $3,000 ($2,000 live bankroll and $1,000 prize fund). The Challenge is limited to 200 individual players.

FALL MEET LEADERS
Through Oct. 12 (5 days of 17-day season)
Jockey Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Jose Ortiz 26 5 4 4 $386,929
Julien Leparoux 26 4 1 2 $280,377
Edgar Morales 21 4 1 1 $102,186
John Velazquez 14 3 3 0 $423,840
Tyler Gaffalione 25 3 2 3 $744,615
Luis Saez 18 3 2 3 $320,792
Chris Landeros 15 3 2 2 $149,328
Mitchell Murrill 9 3 0 1 $78,969

Trainer Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Todd Pletcher 14 5 2 1 $346,406
Mike Maker 19 3 2 3 $168,227

Owner Wins

Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey 3
John C. Oxley 2

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