Keeneland Barn Notes — Tuesday, April 4
By Amy Owens —-
TUESDAY, APRIL 4
Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet opens Friday and runs through Friday, April 28.
First post is at 1 p.m. ET except April 8 when the first race is at 12:30 p.m.
Keeneland is closed for racing Easter Sunday, April 9 as well as Mondays and Tuesdays.
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ANDTHEWINNERIS HEADS FIELD OF 12 FOR FRIDAY’S KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA
CORONA BOLT, GULFPORT, HEJAZI TOP FIELD OF SEVEN FOR LAFAYETTE
PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR SATURDAY’S STAKES
SPRING MEET OPENING WEEKEND SPECIAL EVENTS
ATTENTION MEDIA: KEENELAND’S PHOTOSHELTER PROVIDES SPRING MEET DIGITAL ASSETS FOR EDITORIAL USE
ANDTHEWINNERIS HEADS FIELD OF 12
FOR FRIDAY’S KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA
Susan Moulton’s Andthewinneris, impressive winner of last fall’s Castle & Key Bourbon (G2) here, headlines a field of 12 3-year-olds entered Tuesday for Friday’s 35th running of the $400,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3).
The 1 1/16-mile grass test will go as the eighth race on the 10-race program that opens the 15-day Keeneland Spring Meet. First post is 1 p.m. ET with the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania scheduled to go off at 4:44 p.m.
Trained by Wayne Catalano, Andthewinneris opened 2023 with a victory in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile Stakes at Sam Houston and in his most recent start finished fourth after a troubled trip in the Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds.
“He got bumped pretty good coming out of the gate and then bumped again at the top of the stretch,” Catalano said of Andthewinneris in the Black Gold. “He’s doing great here, and we know he loves this course.”
Corey Lanerie has the mount on Andthewinneris and will exit post position three.
Also in the field is the Black Gold winner, Blue Diamond Stud Farm’s Wonderful Justice (GB). Trained by Brad Cox, Wonderful Justice is undefeated in two starts and will be ridden Friday by Florent Geroux and break from post position four.
Invading from Florida are the 1-2 finishers in Colonel Liam (L) at Gulfstream Park: Three Diamonds Farm’s Dude N Colorado (GB) and D. J. Stable’s Webslinger.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Dude N Colorado finished third in the Kitten’s Joy (G3) in his graded stakes debut prior to winning the Colonel Liam. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will break from post position 12.
Webslinger has compiled a 5-2-2-0 record on grass for trainer Mark Casse and features a victory in Monmouth’s Nownownow Stakes on his resume. Javier Castellano has the mount and will break from post position two.
Also coming from Florida is Madaket Stables, Little Red Feather Racing and William Strauss’ Nagirroc. Trained by Graham Motion, Nagirroc won the Futurity (G3) prior to finishing third here in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). Flavien Prat has the mount and will break from post position nine.
The field for the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Freedom Trail (Frankie Dettori, 118 pounds), Webslinger (Castellano, 118), Andthewinneris (Lanerie, 120), Wonderful Justice (GB) (Geroux, 118), Rarified Flair (Chris Landeros, 118), Mi Hermano Ramon (John Velazquez, 118), Mo Stash (Luis Saez, 118), Candidate (Joel Rosario, 118), Nagirroc (Prat, 118), Movisitor (Adam Beschizza, 118), Carl Spackler (IRE) (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Dude N Colorado (GB) (Ortiz Jr., 118).
CORONA BOLT, GULFPORT, HEJAZI TOP FIELD OF SEVEN
FOR LAFAYETTE
Stonestreet Stables’ Corona Bolt, who is undefeated in three sprint starts, and Grade 1-placed runners Gulfport and Hejazi headline a field of seven 3-year-olds entered Tuesday for Saturday’s 75th running of the $400,000 Lafayette going 7 furlongs on the main track.
The Lafayette will be the seventh race on Friday’s 10-race program with a 4:12 p.m. ET post time.
Trained by Brad Cox, Corona Bolt has a record highlighted by a victory in the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds. Florent Geroux has the mount and will break from post position five.
Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Jackpot Farm, Whispering Oaks Farm and Coolmore Stud’s Gulfport, runner-up in the Hopeful (G1) and third in the Champagne (G1) will be making his 2023 debut for trainer Steve Asmussen. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post position one.
Zedan Racing Stables’ Hejazi invades from Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert. Third in the American Pharoah (G1) last fall and most recently fourth in the San Felipe (G2), Hejazi cuts back to a one-turn sprint and will break from post three under John Velazquez.
The field for the Lafayette, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Gulfport (Gaffalione, 118 pounds), Lugan Knight (Luis Saez, 118), Hejazi (Velazquez, 118), Determinedly (Flavien Prat, 118), Corona Bolt (Geroux, 118), Freezing Point (Gerardo Corrales, 118), Hurricane J (Joe Talamo, 118).
PROSPECTIVE STAKES FIELDS FOR SATURDAY
A total of eight stakes worth a combined $4.05 million will be run Friday and Saturday during the first two days of Keeneland’s Spring Meet. Here are the prospective entrants in the Saturday races compiled by Stakes Coordinator Baley Hare.
April 8 races. Entries taken Wednesday.
$1 MILLION TOYOTA BLUE GRASS (G1) – Blazing Sevens (Chad Brown), Classic Car Wash (Mark Casse), Hayes Strike (Kenny McPeek), Major Blue (D. Wayne Lukas), Mendelssohns March (McPeek), Raise Cain (Ben Colebrook), Sun Thunder (McPeek), Tapit Trice (Todd Pletcher), Verifying (Brad Cox). Possible: Scoobie Quando (Colebrook).
$600,000 MADISON (G1) – Goodnight Olive (Brown), Maryquitecontrary (Shug McGaughey), Yuugiri (Rodolphe Brisset). Possible: Caramel Swirl (Bill Mott).
$400,000 APPALACHIAN (G2) PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION – Alpha Bella (Pletcher), Be Your Best (IRE) (Horacio De Paz), Beautifulnavigator (IRE) (McPeek), Cairo Consort (Pletcher), Heavenly Sunday (Cox), Papilio (IRE) (Mark Casse), Pleasant Passage (McGaughey), Sabalenka (Whit Beckman), Well Into (Jonathan Thomas). Possible: Peacock Lass (Brisset).
$350,000 SHAKERTOWN (G2) – Caravel (Cox), Johnny Unleashed (Eric Foster), Mister Mmmmm (Wayne Catalano), Our Shot (John Terranova II). Possible: Oceanic (Jordan Blair), Stitched (Greg Foley).
$300,000 COMMONWEALTH (G3) – Heart Rhythm (John Ortiz), Get Her Number (Peter Miller), Hoist the Gold (Dallas Stewart), Long Range Toddy (Stewart), Nakatomi (Wesley Ward), Run Classic (Bret Calhoun). Possible: Eastern Bay (Lynn Cash), Sir Alfred James (Cash).
SPRING MEET OPENING WEEKEND SPECIAL EVENTS
Year-round
Official Keeneland Tours. Visit keeneland.com/tours for availability and to purchase.
Through August
Located on Keeneland’s campus, Keeneland Library features the free exhibit The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneers through August. The Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To reach the Library, enter Keeneland at Gate 1 (Man o’ War Blvd.) on Keeneland Blvd. and take the first right on Entertainment Ct. The Library is to the left of the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center.
Friday, April 7
Jockey Autograph Signing. Fans will meet active and retired Keeneland riders and Hall of Famers in an event that benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Signing takes place outside the Walking Ring from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8
The Hill. No ticket or reservation is required for Keeneland’s official tailgating area, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center and accessible via Gate 4. Amenities, available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., include a jumbo TV, wagering, live music presented by The Burl, food trucks and complimentary shuttles to the track. Keeneland partner RevelXP will offer tailgate packages for groups of any size. Visit Keeneland.com/tailgating.
Saturday, April 8
Sunrise Trackside. This free Saturday morning program is geared toward families and offers a unique view of Thoroughbreds during training hours. Children’s activities, located on the first floor of the Grandstand from 8-10 a.m., include a visit with Keeneland’s mascot, Buckles, along with face painting, games and more. Fans can enjoy coffee and donuts at the Starting Gate concession stand while watching horses train. Mini tours will be available at the Welcome Stand in the Paddock. A meet and greet with a horse will take place in the Walking Ring from 8:30-9 a.m.
Easter Sunday, April 9
Keeneland is closed for racing.
ATTENTION MEDIA: KEENELAND’S PHOTOSHELTER PROVIDES
SPRING MEET DIGITAL ASSETS FOR EDITORIAL USE
For the convenience of media covering Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet from April 7-28, Keeneland is posting select photos and videos for editorial use as well as archive press releases and other press materials via the PhotoShelter digital asset management system.
LEXINGTON, KY (April 4, 2023) – D. J. Stable’s champion Wonder Wheel headlines a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered Tuesday morning for the 86th running of the $600,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), the centerpiece of a 10-race program on opening day of the 15-day Keeneland Spring Meet.
Scheduled as the ninth race on the program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time, the Central Bank Ashland will be contested over 1 1/16 miles on the main track. First post Friday is 1 p.m.
The year’s first Grade 1 race for 3-year-old fillies, the Central Bank Ashland offers 200 points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale for the first- through fifth-place finishers toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The Oaks, which will be run May 5 at Churchill Downs, is limited to the top 14 point earners that pass the entry box.
Trained by Mark Casse, Wonder Wheel is perfect in two Keeneland starts with victories in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last fall. She has compiled a career mark of 6-4-2-0 and in her lone start of 2023 finished second in the Suncoast (L) at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 11.
Tyler Gaffalione, who has been aboard for all of Wonder Wheel’s starts, has the mount Friday and will exit post position two.
The Central Bank Ashland winner the past two years has gone on to earn the Eclipse Award as champion 3-year-old filly. Todd Pletcher trained both of them, starting with Malathaat in 2021 and Nest last year.
Pletcher brings Malathaat’s full sister Julia Shining into this year’s renewal. Owned by Stonestreet Stables, Julia Shining comes into the Central Bank Ashland off a third-place finish in the Suncoast in which she was 1¼ lengths behind Wonder Wheel.
Luis Saez, who has been aboard Julia Shining in all of her starts including the victory in the Demoiselle (G2), has the call Friday and will depart post position four.
Pletcher is the fourth trainer to win the Central Bank Ashland in consecutive years. No trainer has won the race three years in a row.
Also coming from Florida is CHP Racing’s Guns n’ Graces for trainer Chad Brown. Guns n’ Graces finished second in the Davona Dale (G2) Presented by FanDuel TV at Gulfstream Park on March 4 in her stakes debut. Joel Rosario has the mount from post position three.
Coming from California is West Coast Stable’s Pride of the Nile, trained by Doug O’Neill. A two-time winner on grass as a 2-year-old, Pride of the Nile was runner-up in the Starlet (G1) and the Las Virgenes (G3) before finishing fifth in the Santa Ysabel (G3) in her most recent start on March 5 at Santa Anita.
Frankie Dettori has the mount on Pride of the Nile from post position one.
The field for the Central Bank Ashland, with riders from the rail out, is: Pride of the Nile (Dettori), Wonder Wheel (Gaffalione), Guns n’ Graces (Rosario), Julia Shining (Saez), Punchbowl (Flavien Prat), Defining Purpose (Brian Hernandez Jr.), Effortlesslyelgant (Ricardo Santana Jr.) All starters will carry 121 pounds.
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Keeneland Spring Meet Opening Day at a Glance
Ten races begin at 1 p.m.
Graded stakes lineup:
Race 7 (4:12 p.m.) $400,000 Lafayette
Race 8 (4:44 p.m.) $400,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3)
Race 9 (5:16 p.m.) $600,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1)
These stakes will be included in late Pick 4 and late Pick 5 wagers. The Kentucky Utilities Transylvania will be part of the Keeneland Turf Pick 3.
How to watch the races: FanDuel TV will present live extensive coverage of every race beginning with the first post at 1 p.m. Fans can watch all Spring Meet races live and at no charge on Keeneland.com, Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select and Keeneland’s YouTube channel.
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Since its first race meet more than 85 years ago, the Keeneland Association has devoted itself to the health and vibrancy of the Thoroughbred industry. The world’s largest Thoroughbred auction house, Keeneland conducts five sales a year, in January, April, September and November. Graduates of Keeneland sales dominate racing across the globe at every level. In April and October, Keeneland offers some of the highest caliber and richest Thoroughbred racing in the world. Keeneland hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in 2015, 2020 and 2022. Uniquely structured, Keeneland is a privately held company with a not-for-profit mission that returns its earnings to the industry and the community in the form of higher purses and millions of dollars donated in support of horse industry initiatives and charitable contributions for education, research, and health and human services throughout Central Kentucky. Keeneland also maintains the Keeneland Library, a world-renowned public research institution with the mission of preserving information about the Thoroughbred industry. To learn more, visit Keeneland.com.
For more information contact Amy Gregory at 859 361-3490 or Amy Owens at 859 421-2566