Keeneland Barn Notes — Saturday, Sept. 30

By Amy Owens —-

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30

PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR FALL STARS WEEKEND STAKES

Fields are taking shape for the Oct. 6-8 Fall Stars Weekend, which kicks off Keeneland’s 17-day Fall Meet and will offer 11 stakes worth $5.55 million.

Eight races are Breeders’ Cup Challenge tests (*) that award the winners fees-paid berths into corresponding races at the 40th World Championships, which will be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita.

According to Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Allison De Luca, here are the prospective fields for the stakes:

Friday, Oct. 6. Entries taken Monday, Oct. 2

*$600,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1), 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles: Alpine Princess (trainer Brad Cox), Brightwork (John Ortiz), Candied (Todd Pletcher), Crazy Cami (Mike Maker), Emery (Cox), Our Keepsake (D. Wayne Lukas), Shimmering Allure (Kenny McPeek), V V’s Dream (McPeek), Wine On Tap (Todd Pletcher).

*$350,000 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2), 3-year-olds and up, 6 furlongs: Baytown Bear (Paul McEntee), Doctor Oscar (Tim Padilla), Hoist the Gold (Dallas Stewart), Manny Wah (Wayne Catalano), Nakatomi (Wesley Ward), Sibelius (Jeremiah O’Dwyer). Possible: Bango (Greg Foley).

*$350,000 Jessamine (G2) Presented by Keeneland November, 2-year-old fillies, 1 1/16 miles (turf): Abeyance (Eoin Harty), Bella Haze (Carlos Santamaria), Crown Imperial (Ortiz), Pharoah’s Wine (Dale Romans), Smooth Waves (Maker), Time to Dazzle (Mark Casse), Toupie (Graham Motion), Tripolina (Kevin Attard).

Saturday, Oct. 7. Entries taken Monday, Oct. 2

*$1 Million Coolmore Turf Mile (G1), 3-year-olds and up, 1 mile (turf): Annapolis (Pletcher), Atone (Maker), English Bee (Motion), Master of The Seas (IRE) (Charlie Appleby), Stitched (Foley), Up to the Mark (Pletcher). Possible: Carl Spackler (IRE) (Chad Brown).

*$600,000 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1), 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles: Awesome Road (Cox), Baytown Chatterbox (McEntee), Django (McPeek), Generous Tipper (McPeek), Just Steel (Lukas), Locked (Pletcher), Northern Flame (McPeek), The Wine Steward (Maker), West Saratoga (Larry Demeritte).

$750,000 First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 mile (turf): Evvie Jets (Mertkan Kantarmaci), Gam’s Mission (Cherie DeVaux), In Italian (GB) (Brown), Jumbly (GB) (Joseph O’Brien), New Year’s Eve (Brendan Walsh), Whitebeam (GB) (Brown).

*$350,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 6 furlongs: Last Leaf (Eddie Kenneally), Sharp Hero (Bradley Ross), Static Fire (Brian Lynch), Wicked Halo (Steve Asmussen), Yuugiri (Rodolphe Brisset). Possible: Fire On Time (Romans).

$350,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by FanDuel, 3-year-olds and up, 5½ furlongs (turf): Arzak (Mike Trombetta), Eye Witness (Ward), Kaufymaker (Ward), Live In The Dream (IRE) (Adam West), Olympic Runner (Mark Casse), Our Shot (John Terranova II).

Sunday, Oct. 8. Entries taken Tuesday, Oct. 3

*$600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1), 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles: Bellamore (Santamaria), Idiomatic (Cox), Malloy (Catalano), Misty Veil (Maker), Nest (Pletcher), Secret Oath (Lukas). Possibles: Hidden Connection (Bret Calhoun), Le Da Vida (CHI) (Ignacio Correas IV).

*$350,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2), 2-year-olds, 1 1/16 miles (turf): Coin Miner (Keith Desormeaux), Depiction (DeVaux), Double Your Money (Lynch), First World War (Walsh), Nomos (Pletcher), Palm Tree (Walsh).

$250,000 Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select, 2-year-olds, 5½ furlongs (turf): Bledsoe (Ward).

SATURDAY WORK TAB

Mr. and Mrs. Tsunebumi Yoshihara’s Grade 3 winner Yuugiri worked a half-mile over a fast main track in :49.20 for trainer Rodolphe Brisset in preparation for a possible start in next Saturday’s $350,000 Thoroughbred Club America (G2).

Also working for possible starts next weekend were Walking L Thoroughbreds’ Shimmering Allure, who breezed a half-mile in :49.60 for Friday’s $600,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1) for trainer Kenny McPeek, and Masaiva Corp.’s’s Le Da Vida (CHI), who covered a half-mile in :48 for next Sunday’s $600,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) for trainer Ignacio Correas IV.

Working on a turf course rated as good for Fall Stars Weekend stakes were three runners for trainer Wesley Ward. Prepping for the $350,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by FanDuel were Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor’s Eye Witness and Gregory Kaufman’s Kaufymaker, who worked 5 furlongs in 1:03.60 and 1:03.40, respectively. Bledsoe, who is being pointed to the $250,000 Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select and who is owned by Ward, worked 5 furlongs in 1:03.60.

Another grass work of note was an easy half-mile in :52.20 for Calumet Farm’s Gear Jockey. Trained by Rusty Arnold, Gear Jockey recorded his first work since winning the Ainsworth Turf Sprint (G2) at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 9. That victory earned the 6-year-old a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) to be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.