Keeneland Barn Notes — Thursday, Oct. 1

By Amy Owens —-

THURSDAY, OCT. 1

Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet opens Friday and runs through Saturday, Oct. 24,
with racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Post time for the first race each day is 1:05 p.m. ET.

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· KENTUCKY DOWNS STAKES WINNER BARRISTER TOM TOPS FIELD OF 12 FOR SUNDAY’S BOURBON

KENTUCKY DOWNS STAKES WINNER BARRISTER TOM
TOPS FIELD OF 12 FOR SUNDAY’S BOURBON

Bantry Farms’ Barrister Tom, winner of the $500,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile last month, headlines a field of 12 2-year-olds for Sunday’s 30th running of the $200,000 Bourbon (G2) going
1 1/16 miles over the turf course.

A “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) to be run at a mile here on Nov. 6, the Bourbon will go as the eighth race on Sunday’s 10-race program with a 5:10 p.m. ET post time.

Barrister Tom is perfect in two grass starts with both triumphs coming at a mile. In his most recent start, Barrister Tom scored a 44-1 upset at Kentucky Downs.

Florent Geroux will ride Barrister Tom and break from post position 11.

The field for the Bourbon, from the inside with riders and weights, is: Indy Tourist (Tyler Gaffalione, 118 pounds), Hidden Enemy (Joel Rosario, 118), Really Slow (Jack Gilligan, 118), Into the Sunrise (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Private Island (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118), Abarta (Umberto Rispoli, 1118, Blame the Booze (Gerardo Corrales, 118), Arrest Me Red (James Graham, 118), Nathan Detroit (Julien Leparoux, 118), Mutasaabeq (Luis Saez, 118), Barrister Tom (Geroux, 120) and Spyglass (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118).

GOLDEN PAL LOOMS LARGE IN INDIAN SUMMER

Ranlo Investments’ Golden Pal, a 3½-length winner at 2-5 in the Skidmore in August at Saratoga, looms as the horse to beat in a field of eight 2-year-olds entered Thursday for Sunday’s third running of the 5½-furlong $150,000 Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select.

The Indian Summer, slated for a 4 p.m. ET post time as Sunday’s sixth race, is a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) to be run here Nov. 6.

Trained by Wesley Ward, who won the Indian Summer last year with Kimari, Golden Pal debuted on dirt at Gulfstream Park in April but then ventured to Royal Ascot in England, where he finished second by a neck in the Norfolk (G2).

Golden Pal will be ridden Sunday by Tyler Gaffalione and break from post position five.

Ward has two other entrants in the race with the most accomplished being Stonestreet Stables’ Wink.

A winner of her first two starts, including the Colleen at Monmouth, Wink most recently traveled to Longchamp France, where she finished second in the Prix d’Arenberg (G3) going 5 furlongs. Gerardo Corrales has the mount Sunday and will break from post position three.

The field for the Indian Summer, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Cowan (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118 pounds), Bodenheimer (Brian Hernandez Jr., 120), Wink (Corrales, 117), Roderick (Julio Garcia, 118), Golden Pal (Gaffalione, 120), Good With People (Luis Saez, 120), Agog (James Graham, 115) and Petit Verdot (Joe Talamo, 118).

COX PICKS KEENELAND AS HIS WEEKEND SPOT

Brad Cox is loaded for bear this weekend at Pimlico with runners in eight stakes, but he will be watching the action from Keeneland.

“There are four Grade 1s here (in which we are entered), so I figured I’d better stay here,” said Cox, whose Grade 1 activity at Keeneland begins with Travel Column in Friday’s Darley Alcibiades and concludes Sunday with Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil going in the Juddmonte Spinster. “I sent my son Blake and my assistant from Indiana Grand (Ricky Giannini) to Pimlico.”

Travel Column, owned by OXO Equine, will be trying to give Cox a second consecutive Darley Alcibiades victory following the 2019 triumph by Eclipse Award winner British Idiom.

“She worked with (Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity-G1 entrant) Essential Quality last Saturday (at Churchill Downs) and it was the first time I had worked them together,” Cox said about Travel Column. “They went five-eighths in :59 and 4 and galloped out three-quarters in 1:12 and 2. I have done as much as I can with them in the morning.

“Now they have to get good trips. There are solid horses in both races.”

Godolphin, which won the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity with Maxfield last year, owns Essential Quality.

In Saturday’s First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare, Cox sends out Beau Recall (IRE) for Slam Dunk Racing and Medallion Racing. Beau Recall is coming off a repeat victory in the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2) last month in which she ran down First Lady rival Newspaperofrecord (IRE).

“She has had two maintenance works since and is doing well,” Cox said. “I hope she gets the same setup that she had the last time.”

Cox has a 24 percent win rate in 2020 and ranks second among North American trainers with $11,945,923 in earnings. On Saturday, in addition to Keeneland and Pimlico, Cox will have runners at Belmont and Hawthorne.

His Pimlico invasion begins Friday afternoon with Owendale, the 2019 Stonestreet Lexington (G3) winner, in the Pimlico Special (G3). His biggest guns Saturday are Bonny South in the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Factor This in the Dinner Party (G2).

SATURDAY WAGERING FEATURES ALL-GRADE 1 CROSS COUNTRY PICK 5

Thoroughbred racing is set for a big Saturday that includes five stakes at Keeneland on the second day of its Fall Stars Weekend. Handicappers will be able to participate in that day’s New York Racing Association’s Cross Country Pick 5, which combines Keeneland’s three Grade 1 races with two Grade 1 events at Belmont Park.

The race order and approximate post times (ET) are as follows:

Leg A Belmont race 7 (4:03 p.m.): Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1)

Leg B Keeneland race 8 (4:51 p.m.): First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare

Leg C Belmont race 9 (5:06 p.m.): Belmont Derby Invitational (G1)

Leg D Keeneland race 9 (5:24 p.m.): Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1)

Leg E Keeneland race 10 (5:57 p.m.): Shadwell Turf Mile (G1)

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are available at https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/cross-country-wagers.

GALLOPING OUT

Keeneland Racing Analyst Tom Leach interviews these trainers who have horses entered in Fall Stars Weekend stakes:

Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux, talks about their two entrants in Friday’s stakes: Xtrema in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) and Shashashakemeup in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2).

John Sadler talks about Ollie’s Candy in Sunday’s Juddmonte Spinster (G1).

STAKES PROBABLES FOR SECOND WEEK OF FALL MEET

*$150,000 JPMORGAN CHASE JESSAMINE (G2) (Entries taken Friday; race Wednesday, Oct. 7) – Aunt Pearl (IRE) (trainer Brad Cox), Fast N Fine Worker (C.R. Trout), Gambling Cat (Mike Maker), Ingrassia (Chad Brown), Lazy Summer Day (Kenny McPeek), Navratilova (Rusty Arnold), Spanish Loveaffair (Mark Casse), Taylor’s Tourist (Scott Geiner).

$150,000 BUFFALO TRACE FRANKLIN COUNTY (G3) (Entries taken Sunday; race Friday, Oct. 9) – Ambassador Luna (James Gulick), Bohemian Bourbon (Ian Wilkes), Change of Control (Michelle Lovell), Got Stormy (Mark Casse), Into Mystic (Brendan Walsh), Stillwater Cove (Wesley Ward), Winning Envelope (Chris Block).

$200,000 HAGYARD FAYETTE (G2) (Entries taken Wednesday; race Saturday, Oct. 10) – Captivating Moon (Chris Block), Crafty Daddy (Kenny McPeek), Higher Power (John Sadler), Miranaque (ARG) (Maria Munoz), Tax (Danny Gargan).

*Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race