Keeneland Barn Notes — April 27

By Amy Owens —-

FRIDAY, APRIL 27 – CLOSING DAY

BROWN RETURNS TO KEENELAND FOR RUSHING FALL WORK

While champion and Toyota Blue Grass (G2) winner Good Magic is at Churchill Downs training for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) on May 5, trainer Chad Brown came to Keeneland Friday to oversee works by several of his horses, including undefeated Rushing Fall.

Winner of Keeneland’s April 8 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association in her first start since taking the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) in November, Rushing Fall worked
4 furlongs in company in :48.40 on a fast dirt track after the morning renovation break.

The More Than Ready filly, who worked 4 furlongs in :4960 last Saturday, is scheduled to leave Keeneland tomorrow for Churchill and her next start in the May 4 Edgewood (G3), a 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. Rushing Fall also has been nominated to the June 22 Coronation (G1), a 1-mile race for 3-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot in England.

Rushing Fall races for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, which owns Good Magic in partnership with Stonestreet Stables.

“After speaking with owner Bob Edwards, he had a change of heart and wanted to run her one more time in Kentucky,” Brown said about Rushing Fall’s schedule. “If she bounced out of the Appalachian well, which she did, we wanted to give her every opportunity to show she’s ready to run again.

“Based on what I just saw (in her breeze), she looks great.”

Winner of four Spring Meet stakes, including the Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) with Analyze It and the Coolmore Jenny Wiley (G1) with Sistercharlie (IRE), Brown enters today’s final day of the season with 11 wins, good for second on the list of leading trainers. He is two wins behind co-leaders Brad Cox and Wesley Ward.

Brown has horses entered in the second and fifth races. Cox has horses in the seventh and 10th races. Ward has no more starters.

FORMER JOCKEY TORRES LEARNING ANOTHER SIDE OF RACING

Francisco Torres certainly knew his way around a race track when he was a jockey, chalking up more than 3,000 victories. Now he is learning a different side of racing in his role as an agent for other riders.

“It is like going back to school,” Torres said on a recent morning at Keeneland as he scurried through the Grandstand and barn area.

On a typical morning, Torres will be at Keeneland or another track networking with trainers who might employ one of his jockeys. In mid-morning, he will be at the Racing Office to ensure his riders’ mounts are properly entered for upcoming races In the afternoon, his lessons include watching races to gain insight to possible future mounts. He also studies Thoroughbreds’ race records and future races to find possible matches for his jockeys.

“Being an agent is a different ballgame than being a jockey,” he said. “There is more bookwork.”
At Keeneland, Torres has represented jockeys Sammy Camacho Jr. and Juan Rosa and soon will add Sammy Bermudez to his roster. They will shift to Churchill Downs for the two-month racing season and also will ride at tracks in Indiana and Ohio when the opportunity arises.

Torres, whose brother Javier supervises the Keeneland Jockeys Quarters as the Clerk of Scales, retired in December. He rode in more than 23,000 races in his 31-year career and at Keeneland won three stakes: 1995 Jenny Wiley (G3) on Romy, 1997 Phoenix Breeders’ Cup aboard Bet On Sunshine and the second division of the 1999 Spinning World on Storm Alert.

“I am working hard, but I am on the ground, which is a lot safer than being a jockey,” he said. “I am happy to still be involved in horse racing. It is like living the dream.”

GALLOPING OUT
Austin Trites won his training debut when he sent out Ruis Racing’s The Critical Way to take Thursday’s fifth race. Ridden by Joel Rosario, the 4-year-old Tizway gelding was the 9-5 favorite for the 5½-furlong turf race. He won by 2½ lengths in 1:04.44.

KEENELAND PARTNERS WITH LANE’S END TO SPONSOR
BLUEGRASS BREAKFAST DERBY WEEK AT CHURCHILL DOWNS

Keeneland, William S. Farish’s Lane’s End and Churchill Downs have teamed to sponsor the Bluegrass Breakfast, an enhanced breakfast experience for horsemen in the Churchill stable area during Kentucky Derby Week. The Bluegrass Breakfast will be open 6-10:30 a.m. ET from Saturday, April 28, through Thursday, May 3, in the Stable Suites located near the gap by the clockers’ stand.

“Keeneland is excited to partner with Lane’s End and Churchill Downs to further elevate the hospitality experience for horsemen,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “Keeneland shares a rich connection to the Kentucky Derby in that 21 winners have been sold at Keeneland sales, most recently Nyquist and Always Dreaming. We are proud to have a presence at Churchill Downs during this important week in racing.”

The Bluegrass Breakfast will feature Southern-style “grab and go” offerings, a coffee bar and both climate-controlled and rooftop views of morning works on the track. Horsemen will enjoy locally sourced daily breakfast options from Lexington’s DaRae & Friends Catering and Tincan Coffee Roasters.

“To be able to partner with our friends at Keeneland and bring a bit of Bluegrass hospitality to our partners at Churchill during Derby week is a great opportunity for us,” said Will Farish. “Lane’s End is always honored to be a part of the biggest race in the sport, whether that’s through the Bluegrass Breakfast or on the race track watching our connections compete on Derby Day.”
 
SPRING MEET LEADERS
Through April 26 (15 days of 16-day season)
Jockey Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Florent Geroux 82 18 12 5 $933,617
Jose Ortiz 87 16 14 16 $1,573,271
Joel Rosario 60 14 14 12 $882,849
Corey Lanerie 86 14 12 10 $795,994
Brian J. Hernandez Jr. 71 9 7 8 $719,663
Adam Beschizza 47 9 7 3 $450,137

Trainer Starts Wins 2nd 3rd Purses

Brad Cox 27 13 1 2 $680,041
Wesley Ward 40 13 9 3 $686,114
Chad Brown 21 11 3 2 $1,491,910
Bret Calhoun 14 5 1 3 $408,203
Mark Casse 42 4 9 5 $580,947
Kenny McPeek 38 4 8 3 $404,724
Tom Amoss 14 4 2 2 $93,630
Larry Jones 13 4 1 3 $148,803

Owners (*includes partnerships) Wins
Marc Detampel 4
G. Watts Humphrey Jr.* 4
Peter M. Brant* 3
Michael Dubb* 3
Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) 3
Breeze Easy (Mike Hall) 2
Cobra Cooper Racing (Ted Cooper) 2
Tom Durant 2
e Five Racing Thoroughbreds (Robert J. Edwards Jr.)* 2