KEENELAND NEWS & NOTES; JULY 9TH

Posted On 09 Jul 2020

By Amy Owens —-

Keeneland’s five-day Summer Meet runs through Sunday. First post is 1:05 p.m. ET

Watch Keeneland races live on TVG. The entire card is streamed live and at no charge
on Keeneland.com, KeenelandSelect.com and Keeneland’s Race Day mobile app along
with Keeneland’s Facebook Live and YouTube.

Click here/> to download free race-day programs and Equibase past performances.

Visit Keeneland at Home Presented by Central Bank for more information about
the Summer Meet and learn how to remotely enjoy the season.

FIELD FOR THE JULY 11, $600,000 TOYOTA BLUE GRASS (G2)

Post

Horse

Trainer

Jockey

Morning Line

Shivaree

Ralph Nicks

John Velazquez

8-1

Finnick the Fierce

Rey Hernandez

Jose Ortiz

12-1

Art Collector

Tom Drury Jr.

Brian Hernandez Jr.

6-1

Mr. Big News

Bret Calhoun

Mitchell Murrill

10-1

Man in the Can

Ron Moquett

Tyler Gaffalione

12-1

Hard Lighting

Alexis Delgado

Rafael Bejarano

50-1

Swiss Skydiver (filly)

Kenny McPeek

Mike Smith

3-1 (favorite)

Basin

Steve Asmussen

Ricardo Santana Jr.

8-1

Attachment Rate

Dale Romans

Luis Saez

20-1

Rushie

Michael McCarthy

Javier Castellano

5-1

Hunt the Front

Nick Zito

Corey Lanerie

20-1

Enforceable

Mark Casse

Joel Rosario

8-1

Tiesto

Bill Mott

Flavien Prat

15-1

· TOM LEACH TALKS TO TRAINERS RUSTY ARNOLD, STEVE ASMUSSEN, TOM DRURY JR.

· TRAINER MIKE McCARTHY PLEASED WITH RUSHIE’S POST 10 IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

· HRRN TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

· ZULU ALPHA HEADLINES FIELD OF 13 FOR CLOSING-DAY TVG ELKHORN

· MULTIPLE STAKES WINNER FIELD PASS FACES 10 RIVALS IN SUNDAY’S KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA

· GALLOPING OUT

· SUMMER MEET LEADERS

· MEDIA RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER MEET

TOM LEACH TALKS TO TRAINERS RUSTY ARNOLD,
STEVE ASMUSSEN, TOM DRURY JR.

Keeneland racing analyst Tom Leach interviewed these trainers with horses scheduled to race on Saturday:

Rusty Arnold on Leinster and Totally Boss in the Shakertown (G2) and the opportunity to compete during the Keeneland Summer Meet.

Steve Asmussen on two of his horses entered Saturday: Basin in the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and Mia Mischief in the Madison (G1).

Tom Drury Jr. on Art Collector in the Toyota Blue Grass.

TRAINER MIKE McCARTHY PLEASED WITH RUSHIE’S
POST 10 IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Jim and Donna Daniell’s Rushie, third behind Honor A. P. in the June 6 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) in his most recent start, drew post 10 in the 13-horse field for Saturday’s $600,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2).

“I’m fine with the draw,” trainer Michael McCarthy said Wednesday afternoon from his base at Del Mar. “He’s very tactical. He’s got plenty of natural ability and natural speed. I would imagine he’d probably be laying somewhere in that first group of horses going into the first turn.”

Rushie will be ridden by Javier Castellano, who won the 2019 Toyota Blue Grass aboard Vekoma.

McCarthy has had only two starters at Keeneland, and Rushie will become his first runner in the Toyota Blue Grass. The colt is a member of the first crop of Liam’s Map, who won the 2015 Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland. Liam’s Map is the sire of another Toyota Blue Grass hopeful, Basin.

Rushie is out of the Colonel John mare Conquest Angel, whose half-sister Peace and War won Keeneland’s Darley Alcibiades (G1) in 2014. His family also includes last year’s Darley Alcibiades winner, champion British Idiom.

Rushie is not nominated to the Triple Crown, but his performance in the Toyota Blue Grass might change that status.

“We’re going to let him earn his way to the first Saturday in September – that sounds strange to say that,” McCarthy said about the rescheduled Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). “If he were to run well, it’s something that the Daniells and myself would go ahead and think about. There are plenty of races out there later in the summer and in the fall all over the country that will be worth taking a look at, so let’s see what happens.

“If he jumps up and runs well, I guess we have to think about something like that. It’s a good problem to have.”

McCarthy has entered Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables’ Speech in both Friday’s $100,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select and Saturday’s $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1). In her last race, Speech was second to Swiss Skydiver in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). Swiss Skydiver will face Rushie in the Toyota Blue Grass.

“I like the idea of the Beaumont, the one turn on the Beard Course,” he said referring to the stakes’ distance of 7 furlongs, 184 feet. “Just thought it would be a good idea for insurance to go ahead and enter in the Ashland just in case something crazy happened over the next 48 hours.”

So he’s leaning toward the Beaumont for Speech?

“Ah …… Not sure yet.”

HRRN TO AIR LIVE COVERAGE OF TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Horse Racing Radio Network (HRRN), the award-winning broadcast organization based in Lexington and the official radio home of the Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup World Championships, will provide live radio coverage of Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass (G2) beginning at 5 p.m. ET.

HRRN’s coverage, presented by Red Brand Fence, can be heard throughout North America on Sirius 219 and XM 201 and locally in the Lexington market on HANK 96.1 FM. Live streaming also will be available on computers and mobile devices on the HRRN website, www.horseracingradio.net.

The one-hour broadcast will include an interview with trainer Kenny McPeek, who will send out the filly Swiss Skydiver against males in the Toyota Blue Grass, and review the day’s earlier stakes races, including the Central Bank Ashland (G1) and Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1). Bobby Neuman will anchor the coverage along with analyst Anthony Stabile. Keeneland announcer Kurt Becker will provide the live race call.

On Saturday, HRRN coverage begins with its popular weekly talk show, “Equine Forum,” from 8-10 a.m. The show can be heard nationally on Sirius 219/XM 201 along with HRRN affiliates in Lexington and Louisville, and will be streamed live and podcast at www.horseracingradio.net.

ZULU ALPHA HEADLINES FIELD OF 13 FOR CLOSING-DAY TVG ELKHORN

Michael Hui’s six-time graded stakes winner Zulu Alpha will shoot for his third victory of 2020 when he headlines a field of 13 grass marathoners Sunday in the 35th running of the $175,000 TVG Elkhorn (G2).

The TVG Elkhorn will be contested over 1½ miles over the Keeneland turf course and be run as the final race of the five-day Summer Meet. First post time Sunday is 1:05 p.m. with the TVG Elkhorn going as the ninth race with a 5:30 post time.

NBCSN will provide live coverage of the TVG Elkhorn from 5-7 p.m.

Winner of the 2018 Sycamore (G3) and third as the favorite in the 2019 Dixiana Elkhorn, Zulu Alpha started his 2020 campaign with a victory in the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Presented by Runhappy (G1) and followed that with a triumph in the Mac Diarmida (G2). In his most recent start, Zulu Alpha was second in the Kitten’s Joy Pan American (G2) going 1½ miles.

Mike Maker trains Zulu Alpha, who will break from post position five under Tyler Gaffalione in the TVG Elkhorn.

Figuring to be the major rival to Zulu Alpha is $1.8 million earner Arklow.

Owned by Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway, Arklow won the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) last fall at Belmont Park. Trained by Brad Cox, Arklow finished second in the Louisville (G3) in his most recent start that came off a 4½-month layoff. Arklow will exit post 10 under Florent Geroux.

The field for the TVG Elkhorn, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Apreciado (Gerardo Corrales, 118 pounds), Nakamura (John Velazquez, 118), Ramsey Solution (Julio Garcia, 118), Postulation (Julien Leparoux, 118), Zulu Alpha (Gaffalione, 120), Jais’s Solitude (Corey Lanerie, 118), He’s No Lemon (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Hellorhighwater (James Graham, 118), Oscar Dominguez (IRE) (Joel Rosario, 118), Arklow (Geroux, 123), Ry’s the Guy (Chris Landeros, 118), Hierarchy (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Henley’s Joy (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118).

MULTIPLE STAKES WINNER FIELD PASS FACES 10 RIVALS IN SUNDAY’S KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA

Three Diamonds Farm’s Field Pass will face 10 foes Sunday as he goes for his fourth stakes victory of 2020 in the 32nd running of the $100,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The Kentucky Utilities Transylvania will go as the seventh race on Sunday’s closing-day program with a 4:24 p.m. post time.

Fourth in last fall’s Dixiana Bourbon (G3) in his lone Keeneland start, Field Pass has posted stakes victories on the grass this year in the Dania Beach and Gulfstream and last month in the Audubon at Churchill Downs. Field Pass also won the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on Turfway Park’s all-weather surface in March.

Trained by Mike Maker, Field Pass will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. and break from post position one.

Among the chief rivals to Field Pass is OXO Equine’s Vintage Print. Trained by two-time Transylvania winner Chad Brown, Vintage Print will be making his stakes debut and be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione out of post position five.

The field for the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania, with riders and weights from the rail, is: Field Pass (Santana Jr., 120), Kentucky Ghost (Robby Alvarado, 118), City Man (Joel Rosario, 118), Juggernaut (James Graham, 118), Vintage Print (Gaffalione, 118), Irish Mias (John Velazquez, 120), Fancy Liquor (Florent Geroux, 118), Street Ready (Chris Landeros, 118), Spanish Kingdom (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Kinenos (Shaun Bridgmohan, 118), Bama Breeze (Corey Lanerie, 118).

GALLOPING OUT

Keeneland salutes today’s Julep Cup sponsors: Calumet Farm (first race), Fawn Leap Farm (fifth race), Dromoland Farm (sixth race), Mill Ridge Farm (seventh race), Runnymede Farm (eighth race) and Woods Edge Farm (ninth race).

Every race meet, Keeneland welcomes Thoroughbred farms and other organizations to participate in the Julep Cup Sponsorship Program by sponsoring an allowance or maiden race during the race meets. The farm’s name is engraved on the silver julep cup that is awarded to the owner of the winning horse. Wakefield Scearce of Shelbyville, Kentucky, provides the cups.

MEDIA RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR SUMMER MEET

Due to health and safety concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, attendance at Keeneland’s Summer Meet from July 8-12 is limited to horsemen and essential staff.

Because media are not permitted to attend the Summer Meet, the Communications staff is providing a number of resources to help facilitate coverage, among them the daily News Releases that will include:

· Stakes advances, recaps and horsemen quotes;

· Still photos and video (including images and b-roll of the grounds) for editorial use, posted on Keeneland’s FTP site, which can be accessed by clicking here;

· Video clips of all stakes races, which feature post-race interviews with the winning trainer and jockey.

Also available are the 2020 Keeneland Media Guide (click here) and trainer and jockey bios (click here).

Details about additional media resources will be provided when they become available.

SUMMER MEET LEADERS

Through July 8 (Day 1 of five-day season)

Jockey

Starts

Wins

2nd

3rd

Purses

Tyler Gaffalione