Keeneland — Wednesday, Oct. 17

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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• TWO-TIME GRADE 1 WINNER MOONSHINE MEMORIES TOPS OVERFLOW FIELD FOR LEXUS RAVEN RUN
• OSCAR PERFORMANCE TUNES UP FOR BREEDERS’ CUP MILE
• BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS STABLED AT KEENELAND
• AMY’S CHALLENGE WORKS FOR SATURDAY’S LEXUS RAVEN RUN
• BURNS RELISHES EXPERIENCES ON KEENELAND TRACK MAINTENANCE TEAM
• UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES
• FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS
• FALL MEET LEADERS

TWO-TIME GRADE 1 WINNER MOONSHINE MEMORIES
TOPS OVERFLOW FIELD FOR LEXUS RAVEN RUN

Michael Tabor, Bridlewood Farm, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith’s Moonshine Memories heads a field of 14 3-year-old fillies and two also-eligibles entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 20th running of the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2).
The 7-furlong main track test will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:30 p.m. ET post time. First post time Saturday is 1:05 p.m.
Trained by Simon Callaghan, Moonshine Memories won her first three races as a 2-year-old, including the Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Chandelier (G1).
The Lexus Raven Run represents her third trip east from her Southern California base. Moonshine Memories finished fourth in the Acorn (G1) at Belmont in June and in her most recent start was third in the Prioress (G2) at Saratoga on Sept. 2.
Mike Smith has the mount and will break from post position nine.
The field for the Lexus Raven Run, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Amy’s Challenge (Jareth Loveberry, 118 pounds), Everyonelovesjimmy (Chris Landeros, 118), Blamed (Julien Leparoux, 118), True Royalty (Robby Albarado, 120), Alter Moon (Jose Ortiz, 118), Kelly’s Humor (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), She’s Pretty Lucky (Corey Lanerie, 118), Chauncey (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Moonshine Memories (Smith, 118), Divine Queen (Calvin Borel, 118), Take Charge Paula (Florent Geroux, 118), Shamrock Rose (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Bronx Beauty (Albin Jimenez, 118) and Nootka Sound (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118). Also-eligible: Criminal Mischief (Gabriel Saez, 118) and She’s a Gypsy (Corey Lanerie, 118).

OSCAR PERFORMANCE TUNES UP FOR BREEDERS’ CUP MILE

Amerman Racing’s four-time Grade 1 winner Oscar Performance continued his preparations for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3 by working 5 furlongs in company in 1:01 over a fast main track Wednesday morning at Keeneland.
Working with Teryn It Up, a 3-year-old maiden, Oscar Performance edged in front at the wire as he completed his final quarter-mile in :24 with regular rider Jose Ortiz up.
“I am happy with it,” trainer Brian Lynch said. “I wanted him to go in around 1:01 or 1:01 and change.”
Oscar Performance, winner of the Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1) in his most recent start Sept. 15, on Oct. 7 worked a half-mile in :52.20 on a turf course labeled good. He was scheduled for another grass work this past Sunday, but rainy conditions curtailed any turf activity.
“You do what you can,” Lynch said of the missed grass work. “But he has worked well on the dirt, and this year he has never lost when I have worked him on the dirt before a race.
“He worked on dirt before Woodbine and before the race at Belmont (the Grade 3 Poker in June).”
Winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Santa Anita in 2016 and ninth in last year’s 1½-mile Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Del Mar after setting the pace, Oscar Performance likely will have his final Breeders’ Cup work on the turf at Churchill Downs Oct. 28.

BREEDERS’ CUP CONTENDERS STABLED AT KEENELAND

Keeneland is home to several potential contenders for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Churchill Downs on Nov. 2-3.
Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup will be announced Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Here are the trainers and their possible Breeders’ Cup runners:

Trainer (Barn) Horse Breeders’ Cup Race Last Race (at KEE unless indicated) Most Recent Work Since Last Race
Rusty Arnold (60) Concrete Rose Juvenile Fillies Turf Won 10/10 JPMorgan Chase Jessamine (G2)
Richard Baltas (41) Next Shares Mile Won 10/6 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1)
Mark Casse (37) Strike Silver Juvenile Turf Sprint Won 10/7 Indian Summer
War of Will Juvenile Turf 4th in 10/7 Dixiana Bourbon (G3)
Ben Colebrook (66) Knicks Go Juvenile Won 10/6 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1)
Limousine Liberal Sprint/Dirt Mile 3rd in 10/5 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2)
Ignacio Correas IV (41, 70) Blue Prize (ARG) Distaff Won 10/7 Juddmonte Spinster (G1)
Brian Lynch (40) Oscar Performance Mile Won 9/15 Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1)
at WO 10/17: 5f in 1:01 on dirt
Kenny McPeek (34, 70) Eskimo Kisses Distaff 7th 10/7 Juddmonte Spinster (G1)
Restless Rider Juvenile Fillies Won 10/5 Darley Alcibiades (G1)
Signalman Juvenile 2nd 10/6 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1)
Joe Sharp (46) Mom’s On Strike Filly and Mare Turf 2nd 9/13 Ramsey Farm at KD 10/13: 5f in 1:02 on dirt
Wesley Ward (41, 47, 68) Chelsea Cloisters Juvenile Turf Sprint 2nd in 10/7 Indian Summer
Moonlight Romance Juvenile Turf Sprint Won 9/8 Kentucky Downs Juvenile Turf Sprint at KD 10/17: 4f in :50 on dirt
Shang Shang Shang Juvenile Turf Sprint Won 6/21 Norfolk (G2) at Royal Ascot 10/13: 5f in 1:02 on dirt
Stillwater Cove Juvenile Turf Sprint 5th in 9/16 Natalma (G1) at WO 10/17: 4f in :49 on dirt
Two Shakes Juvenile Turf Sprint 7th in 9/1 Exacta Systems Juvenile Fillies at KD 9/16 4f in :51 on dirt

AMY’S CHALLENGE WORKS FOR SATURDAY’S LEXUS RAVEN RUN

Novogratz Racing Stables’ Amy’s Challenge tuned up for a start in Saturday’s $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) by working a half-mile in :46.80 Wednesday morning over a fast track for trainer Mac Robertson.
Working on her own after the renovation break, Amy’s Challenge galloped out 5 furlongs in :59.
“Pretty good; pretty good,” Robertson said after the work.
Undefeated as a 2-year-old and graded stakes-placed this spring at Oaklawn Park, Amy’s Challenge comes into the Lexus Raven Run off a turf sprint victory at Canterbury Park.
“I was just trying to get her a win,” Robertson said of the grass start. “She had been running her guts out without winning one.”
Amy’s Challenge came to Keeneland last fall after beating the boys in her first two starts but did not race.
“She’s a sound filly and she has done well here,” Robertson said.
Wednesday’s work was the third for Amy’s Challenge at Keeneland following a bullet 5 furlongs in :59 on Oct. 9 and another five-eighths work in :58.60 on Oct. 3.

BURNS RELISHES EXPERIENCES
ON KEENELAND TRACK MAINTENANCE TEAM

Ashley Burns is enjoying her first job since graduating from Western Kentucky University in May doing what no doubt would delight the many children who visit Keeneland.
“I kind of jokingly call it ‘professional tractor driver,’ ” said Burns (left), who has held the position of Keeneland Equipment Operator and Track Maintenance Worker since July.
With a degree in agriculture and a focus in animal science, Burns said she never pictured herself working a conventional nine-to-five job, which solidified her decision to apply for the Keeneland position she saw posted online.
“I was just looking for jobs and it sounded interesting,” she said. “I like to be outside, and I didn’t really want to do an office job. Even when it’s cold, I’d rather be outside working than in an office in front of a computer.
“I had a little bit (of tractor experience) prior to the job,” she continued. “We have a small tractor at home, but not anything like these – these tractors are fancier than my truck. It was definitely a learning curve. You just get here and you go out, you learn it as you go, because there’s not really an easy way to teach you to do it until you do it. I’m still learning a lot.”
A typical day for Keeneland’s 10-member Track Maintenance crew, which is under the direction of Track Superintendent Javier Barajas, amounts to a 13-hour shift.
“I get here at 3:30 in the morning to open the track and prepare the surface for horses to come work on it,” she said. “We have to be off the track by about 5:15 a.m. because the horses come on at about 5:30 a.m. It’s important to get everything put away before they come out.”
Burns and her co-workers return to the tractors to groom the main track during the renovation period from 8-8:30 a.m. and after the track closes at 10 a.m. They wash the tractors, tend to the turf course if needed and perform other tasks to prepare the track for the afternoon’s racing and maintain it during the races. (Click here for Keeneland’s daily track maintenance report.)
After the final race, the team prepares the track for the evening and moves the inner rail on the turf course as necessary for the following day.
Burns’ day continues when she arrives home at her family’s 20-acre farm in nearby Georgetown.
“I have five horses at home, and I do barrel racing with them,” she said. “That’s what primarily takes up my time (outside of work) – I go home, then I ride. The other night I got out of here at 7 p.m. and got home at 8 o’clock, saddled up my horse and rode in the dark using the headlights on my truck as arena lights.”
Burns says one sight at Keeneland is worth such a busy schedule.
“My favorite thing about the job is the mornings,” she said. “It’s so beautiful, and the sunrise is something you don’t get to see in a lot of other jobs. Most people aren’t up anyways to see the sunrise, or if you are you’re normally on your commute to work. So to be able to see it while you’re at your job and surrounded by horses is great.”

UPCOMING STAKES PROBABLES

$125,000 ROOD & RIDDLE DOWAGER (G3) (Entries taken Thursday; race Sunday) – Amboseli (trainer James Cassidy), Beach Flower (Mac Robertson), Daring Duchess (Mike Maker), English Affair (Rusty Arnold), Res Ipsa (Ian Wilkes), Savannah Belle (Brian Lynch), Vexatious (Neil Drysdale), Viva Vegas (Derek Ryan). Possible: Coco Channel (Charlie LoPresti), Rahway (Mike Maker), Shezaprado (Maker).  
$200,000 HAGYARD FAYETTE (G2) (Entries taken Wednesday, Oct. 24; race Saturday, Oct. 27) – Guest Suite (trainer Neil Howard), Hence (Steve Asmussen), Leofric (Brad Cox), Name Changer (Alan Goldberg), Nice Not Nice (Buff Bradley), Prime Attraction (James Cassidy), Rated R Superstar (Kenny McPeek). Possible: Hofburg (Bill Mott), Honorable Duty (Brendan Walsh), Scuba (Walsh).

FALL MEET SPECIAL EVENTS

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.”
Wednesday, Oct. 17
WINS-Day Challenge Sponsored by Malone’s. 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. Winners receive $1,250 with money distributed through 10th place. Limit three entries per person.
Thursday, Oct. 18
Tour Keeneland, Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tour and Owner’s Experience Tour. Click here for more information about these tours and other Official Keeneland Tours.
Friday, Oct. 19
Tour Keeneland, Behind-the-Scenes Racing Tour and Owner’s Experience Tour. Click here for more information these tours and other Official Keeneland Tours.

Racing from the Top: Behind the Scenes at Keeneland with Chris McCarron. Tour offered by Horse Country includes reserved Grandstand seating, program and food voucher. Portion of proceeds benefit Old Friends Equine. Click here for more information and to reserve through Horse Country.

seeblue. Day at the Races. The day before the University of Kentucky football team takes on Vanderbilt, Keeneland becomes the center of Big Blue Nation. UK students, alumni, faculty and staff will receive free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating with valid UK IDs. Throughout the afternoon, fans will enjoy special activities, including appearances by the UK Wildcat mascot, cheerleaders and band. Keep your eye on Keeneland Bugler Steve Buttleman, who has been known to lead fans in the UK fight song, “On! On! U of K.”

The Hill (weather permitting) – Keeneland’s designated tailgate lot offers fans a jumbo screen TV to watch live racing, wagering, local food trucks and free shuttles to the Grandstand.

Bluegrass Experience Sweepstakes. Sign up to win a Horse Country VIP tour at Pin Oak Stud along with a Keeneland experience and gift basket from noon to 2:30 p.m. Also learn more about the Woodford Humane Society and sign up to win a Keeneland gift basket.
The Keeneland Shop presents a trunk show with Frederiquec.

$200,000-guaranteed Friday Pick Four Presented by TVG. Races 7-10, including the Pin Oak Valley View (G3).

Saturday, Oct. 20
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 a blood donor horse from Hagyard Equine Medical Institute (9 a.m.); and Q&A session with a jockey 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 Frederique.

$300,000-guaranteed Pick Four. Races 7-10, including the Lexus Raven Run (G2).

Sunday, Oct. 21
Owner’s Experience Tour. Click here for more information about this tour and other Official Keeneland Tours.

Heroes Day Presented by City Barbecue. Heroes Day honors members of the military (active duty and veterans), first responders – law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs – and their families with free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seats. The Family Zone will offer free lunch and children’s activities for those families in the North Terrace from noon to 4 p.m.
Other special activities include a flag unfurling on the main track between races and recognition of local heroes in the Winner’s Circle throughout the afternoon.
The Keeneland Shop presents a trunk show with Frederique.

FALL MEET LEADERS

Through Oct. 14 (8 days of 17-day season)
Jockey Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Jose Ortiz 36 6 6 4 $450,206
*Edgar Morales 31 6 1 2 $140,990
Julien Leparoux 39 5 2 4 $354,256
Tyler Gaffalione 31 4 4 3 $811,665
Ricardo Santana Jr. 42 4 3 5 $353,279
Chris Landeros 25 4 2 3 $197,053
Javier Castellano 14 4 2 2 $525,797

*apprentice

Trainer Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Todd Pletcher 15 6 2 1 $392,356
Brad Cox 23 4 4 3 $374,732
Ian Wilkes 22 3 3 4 $269,393
Mike Maker 24 3 2 3 $174,146
Eddie Kenneally 15 3 2 0 $136,607
Steve Asmussen 21 3 1 4 $188,847
Joe Sharp 14 3 1 2 $156,593

Owner Wins

Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey 3
John C. Oxley 2

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