Keeneland Barn Notes — Thursday, April 2

By Amy Owens —-

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

Keeneland’s 15-day Spring Meet begins Friday and runs through Friday, April 24.
First post every day is 1 p.m. ET.

Keeneland will be closed for racing on Easter Sunday, April 5.

Every race during the Spring Meet will be streamed live and at no charge
on Keeneland.com and broadcast live on FanDuel TV.

Complimentary digital programs with Equibase past performances
Powered by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF)
are available to download by clicking here.

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TALKIN READY TO DO SOME TALKIN’ IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS
NEWLY MINTED TRAINER LAROSE BACK WHERE HE BEGAN
PROTON FOLLOWING IN TEST SCORE’S HOOFPRINTS COMING INTO UK HEALTHCARE TRANSYLVANIA
VALVOLINE GLOBAL SHAKERTOWN CONTENDER USUALLY WRONG HAS BEEN USUALLY RIGHT ON THE GRASS
CRAZY MASON BRINGS SACCO BACK TO KEENELAND FOR COMMONWEALTH
PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES
OPENING WEEKEND SPECIAL EVENTS

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TALKIN READY TO DO SOME TALKIN’ IN TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Trainer Danny Gargan is expecting Talkin to be heard from in the Saturday’s $1.25 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1).

“He’s doing really good and he came out of the (ESMARK) Tampa Bay Derby (G3) better than he went into it,” Gargan said Thursday morning. “I never considered the Wood Memorial (G2 Presented by Resorts World Casino). This is the race I wanted to run in with the one prep at Tampa to get him fit.”

Talkin — owned by the partnership of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Pine Racing Stables, Legendary Thoroughbreds, Belmar Racing and Breeding and R. A. Hill Stable — will try to give Gargan an initial victory in the Toyota Blue Grass.

Two years ago, Gargan came here with Dornoch, who finished fourth for a partnership group that included Pine Racing, Belmar and Hill. Off that effort, Dornoch finished 10th after breaking from the 1 hole in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve before winning the Belmont (G1) and NYRA Bets Haskell (G1).

To get back to the Kentucky Derby, Talkin will have to finish in the top two for Gargan to take a swing. Talkin has accumulated 10 qualifying points toward the Derby by virtue of a runner-up finish in the Champagne (G1) and the fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby.

Joel Rosario has the mount from post 1.

“He would have to run a huge second to get to the Derby,” Gargan said of the Toyota Blue Grass, which awards 100 points to the winner and 50 points to the runner-up for the Run for the Roses.

Four races before Talkin ventures to center stage, Gargan will send out National Identity in the $350,000 Commonwealth (G3) for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.

The Commonwealth will be the graded stakes debut for National Identity and his second start outside of New York-bred company.

“He is just as good as any of them,” Gargan said of National Identity, who has a 10-5-3-2 record. “I am not afraid of any of them in there and the New York-breds … Will Walden won a Grade 1 here with Rhetorical and I won the Frizette (G1) with Iron Orchard.”

Rosario has the mount on National Identity.

NEWLY MINTED TRAINER LAROSE BACK WHERE HE BEGAN

When Kinnon LaRose saddles Michael McLoughlin’s Oscar’s Hope in Friday’s $400,000 Lafayette (L), the fifth race on opening day of the Keeneland Spring Meet, he will begin another chapter of his training career.

Keeneland is where in October 2020 LaRose met his mentor, Tom Amoss, who recently announced his semi-retirement from training Thoroughbreds. Amoss then transferred the bulk of his stable to LaRose, his assistant for the past six years, but will remain involved in an advisory role.

LaRose was familiar with Amoss from watching him as a racing analyst on Fox Sports. He sent Amoss an email seeking advice, and Amoss invited him to meet him at Keeneland during the 2020 Fall Meet.

“He had four horses running on opening day at Keeneland and he won two races; I was hooked from there,” LaRose said. “Being at Keeneland was like going back in time — so much history.”

Amoss and LaRose have a great deal in common. Both began working with Thoroughbreds at the track with virtually no previous experience. Amoss was familiar with the sport while growing up in New Orleans. After he graduated from college, he started working at Fair Grounds, where he became a member of the track’s Hall of Fame. Similarly, LaRose absorbed Thoroughbred racing on family trips to Saratoga Race Course, 200 miles southeast of their home in Ogdensburg, New York.

LaRose graduated from Sacred Heart University in Connecticut with a sports management degree and a master’s degree in strategic communications and public relations. During his school years, he also excelled at basketball.

After Amoss hired LaRose, he was taught to clean stalls and handle Thoroughbreds. LaRose then was promoted to groom and foreman prior to becoming his assistant.

“I am certainly very grateful and humbled for all of this. And lucky,” he said of the opportunity to succeed Amoss. “This doesn’t happen in this industry very often. I am not going to take it for granted; just going to do my best. I will be working with Tom in a different fashion and glad that he will still be around and still in my corner. I can’t be more appreciative to the owners and Tom. We will do this together.”

PROTON FOLLOWING IN TEST SCORE’S HOOFPRINTS COMING
INTO FRIDAY’S UK HEALTHCARE TRANSYLVANIA

A year ago in the Transylvania (G3), Test Score tipped his hand at what was to come when he posted a 1¼-length score to give trainer Graham Motion his second victory in the race for 3-year-olds.

Motion will seek to double up Friday when he sends out Proton for the ownership group of Stone Farm, C. Linwood Miles Jr., Ken Wheeler Jr., Lynwood Napier and Deborah Easter.

The past performances on the two horses are virtually identical. Both closed their 2-year-old campaigns at Del Mar and opened their 3-year-old seasons with one prep before the 1 1/16-mile Transylvania.

“They are obviously on very similar schedules,” Motion said. “I wish I had a little more time since the (March 7) Columbia (at Tampa Bay Downs) as we did with Test Score, but I wanted to give (Proton) a break after California.”

Both horses finished second in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes on the Breeders’ Cup undercard at Del Mar. However, Proton stayed in California and wrapped up the year with a fourth-place finish in the Cecil B. DeMille (G3).

Test Score, who made his 3-year-old debut a month earlier than Proton did this year, since the Transylvania victory has added two Grade 1 triumphs at 1⅛ miles and pushed his career earnings past the $2 million mark.

“Proton is a slightly different horse than Test Score in that I am not sure he is going to want much more (distance) than this,” Motion said.

John Velazquez has the mount Friday from post 1.

VALVOLINE GLOBAL SHAKERTOWN CONTENDER USUALLY WRONG
HAS BEEN USUALLY RIGHT ON THE GRASS

BG Stables and Selman Shaby’s Usually Wrong, entered in Saturday’s $400,000 Valvoline Global Shakertown (G2), has been usually right every time he has raced on the grass for trainer Robertino Dioidoro.

After four starts on the dirt, “there was a race on the turf at Evangeline Downs,” Diodoro said. “Usually it rains a lot there, but the race stayed on the grass so we thought we’d try it.”

The result was a daylight victory and the first of five in seven grass starts.

“He has a better turn of foot on the grass, and he’s the kind of horse that doesn’t need the front and can sit off the pace,” Diodoro said. “You have a horse that can do that at any level and that makes it nice.”

Winner of the Colonel Power (L) and the Duncan F. Kenner (L) in front-running fashion in his past two starts at Fair Grounds, Usually Wrong will be making his graded stakes debut in the Valvoline Global Shakertown going 5½ furlongs.

“He has already beaten a couple of those in there,” Diodoro said of Usually Wrong, who will be ridden by Isaac Castillo from post 12. “I would rather be a few spots in (from the 12) but it is better than the 1 or 2.”

Usually Wrong races for his breeders, and Diodoro is quick to credit them.

“They are very patient and they don’t rush things. Just let the horse tell us what he wants to do,” Diodoro said.

CRAZY MASON BRINGS SACCO BACK TO KEENELAND FOR COMMONWEALTH

Trainer Greg Sacco, who will send out Donna Wright and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Crazy Mason in the $350,000 Commonwealth (G3) going 7 furlongs on Saturday, hasn’t raced a horse at Keeneland in six years. That runner was Mind Control, who ran ninth in the Lafayette on the undercard of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Crazy Mason, who won the Carter (G2) Presented by NYRA Bets last year, wound up here this week instead of going to New York to defend his title in that race.

“It was a tough decision but this is a good starting point and if he runs well, we will stay in Kentucky and come back on Derby Day (for the $1 million Churchill Downs-G1 Presented by Ford),” Sacco said.

A deep closer, Crazy Mason has been solid going 7 furlongs with the Carter victory as well as a third-place finish in the Forego (G1) and the Vosburgh (G3) Presented by Army Mule.

“He always breaks good but then he settles back. I’d like to see him closer (early),” Sacco said. “But I am sure Irad (Ortiz Jr.) will work out a trip. The way he has been training, he will come rolling and I expect a big effort.

“If the track is wet, that won’t hurt him. Hopefully we can turn those seconds and thirds into wins.”

PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES

Entries taken Friday. Races are Friday, April 10.

$650,000 MAKER’S MARK MILE (G1) – Aomori City (FR) (trainer Charlie Appleby), Layabout (Patrick Biancone), Notable Speech (GB) (Appleby), One Stripe (SAF) (Graham Motion), Pitkin (Ian Wilkes), Rhetorical (Will Walden), Tiz Dashing (Barclay Tagg).

$350,000 FANDUEL LIMESTONE (G3) – Cy Fair (George Weaver), Debbie Doll (Robbie Medina), Final Accord (Mark Casse), Lennilu (Patrick Biancone), Light Won Up (Doug O’Neill), Midnight Martini (Casse), Pure Eloquence (Jack Sisterson), Quiet Street (Bill Mott), Sapphire Beach (IRE) (Rusty Arnold), Stepping Stones (Joe Sharp).

Entries taken Saturday. Races are Saturday, April 11.

$650,000 JENNY WILEY (G1) – Aussie Girl (IRE) (Walden), Dynamic Pricing (IRE) (Chad Brown), Expensive Queen (Brendan Walsh), Fast Market (John Terranova), Lush Lips (GB) (Walsh), Medoro (Peter Eurton), Segesta (Brown). Possible: Destino d’Oro (Brad Cox).

$400,000 STONESTREET LEXINGTON (G3) – Confessional (Cox), Decisive Win (O’Neill), Enforced Agenda (George Weaver), Jackson Hole (Todd Pletcher), The Hell We Did (Todd Fincher), Trendsetter (Ben Colebrook).

Entries taken Tuesday. Race is Sunday, April 12.

$400,000 GIANT’S CAUSEWAY (G2) PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT – Bourbon Memory (Walsh), Gratefully (Robert Falcone Jr.), Me Governor (Carlos David), Pondering (Walsh), Saratoga Special (IRE) (Richard Baltas), Shining Star (CHI) (Cox), Twirling Queen (Jose D’Angelo). Possible: In Our Time (Saffie Joseph Jr.), Italian Soiree (Graham Motion), Love Cervere (Miguel Clement), Movin’ On Up (Joseph), Pandora’s Gift (IRE) (Clement).

OPENING WEEKEND SPECIAL EVENTS

Keeneland has been investing in the horse industry and the Central Kentucky community since it began racing in October 1936. Throughout the 2026 Spring Meet, special events at the track will benefit worthwhile organizations, while other activities will educate and entertain racing fans.

Year-round

Official Keeneland Tours. Click here for availability and to purchase.

Keeneland Library exhibit. Located on Keeneland’s campus, Keeneland Library is presenting the free exhibit Raices: The Making of Latino Legacies in Racing, a landmark bilingual showcase and education initiative that highlights 100 trailblazing Latino men and women whose contributions have shaped Thoroughbred racing and breeding from the late 1800s to today. Raices (Spanish for roots) shines a light on Latino industry professionals across the Americas through biographical vignettes, rare images and never-before-displayed artifacts. The exhibit is presented in English with an accompanying Spanish audio guide, marking the Library’s first fully bilingual interpretive experience. Developed in collaboration with writers, historians and photographers from six countries, the exhibit underscores the depth, breadth and enduring impact of Latino heritage within the sport.

The Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Enter Keeneland at Gate 1 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 and Saturday

The Keeneland Shop. Located near the Grandstand South entrance, The Keeneland Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 30 minutes following the final race and on Mondays and Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On race days, Milliners Corner, Wagering Central and Finish Line locations will be open.

On opening weekend, Milliners Corner will feature Christine A. Moore (April 3-4). The East Plaza will host Stephanie Hilen (April 3) and Darren K. Moore (April 3-4).

The Hill. No ticket or reservation is required for tailgating on The Hill, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center and accessible via Gate 1 (at Man o’ War Blvd.) or Gate 4 (off Van Meter Road on the east side of Keeneland). Fans can watch the racing action via a jumbo TV and place their bets in a wagering tent while they enjoy live music presented by The Burl, food trucks and handicapping assistance from BETologists. Complimentary shuttles to the track are offered.

The Hill is open from 8 a.m. to 60 minutes after the final race. Amenities are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For fans who want to elevate their experience, Keeneland again is partnering with RevelXP to offer tailgate packages for groups of any size. RevelXP will organize tailgates by furnishing a designated tent, catering, amenities and more.

Saturday

Sunrise Trackside — Easter edition. This free Saturday morning program from 8-10 a.m. is geared toward families and offers a unique view of Thoroughbreds during training hours. Fans can enjoy coffee and breakfast items at a concession stand while watching horses train. Children’s activities on the first floor of the Grandstand include a visit with Keeneland mascot Buckles, face painting and games. Mini tours are available at the Welcome Stand near the Saddling Paddock.

Every Saturday, the John Deere Tractor Break will take place during the renovation period on the main track from 8:30-9 a.m. and include a drawing for a kids John Deere electric-powered truck with trailer from John Deere/Meade Tractor. Meanwhile, a meet and greet with a horse will be held in the Saddling Paddock from 8:30-9 a.m.

On April 4, the Easter Bunny will appear at the special Easter edition of Sunrise Trackside.

KEENELAND IS CLOSED FOR RACING
ON SUNDAY, APRIL 5 FOR EASTER SUNDAY

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