Keeneland Barn Notes — Wednesday, Sept. 30

By Amy Owens —-

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 30

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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· THOROUGHBRED CLUB OF AMERICA ATTRACTS FIELD OF SEVEN

· SUNDAY FALL STARS WEEKEND FIELDS

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THOROUGHBRED CLUB OF AMERICA ATTRACTS FIELD OF SEVEN

KMN Racing’s Sneaking Out, riding a two-race graded stakes win streak, headlines a field of seven fillies and mares entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 40th running of the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) going 6 furlongs on the main track.

The TCA is a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be run here Nov. 7. Post time for the TCA, scheduled as the seventh race on Saturday’s 11-race program that begins at 1:05 p.m. ET, is 4:18 p.m.

Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Sneaking Out won the Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos on July 4 and followed that with a 3¾-length victory as the favorite in the Rancho Bernardo (G3) at Del Mar on Aug. 21.

Umberto Rispoli, who was aboard for the Del Mar victory, has the call Saturday and will break from post position one.

The field for the Thoroughbred Club of America, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Sneaking Out (Rispoli, 122 pounds), Dos Vinos (Mitchell Murrill, 120), On Probation (Adam Beschizza, 120), Divine Queen (Calvin Borel, 120), Palace Avenger (Luis Saez, 118), Inthemidstofbiz (Martin Garcia, 120) and Lady’s Island (Tyler Gaffalione, 120).

SHAKERTOWN WINNER LEINSTER HEADLINES EVENLY MATCHED FIELD
OF NINE FOR WOODFORD PRESENTED BY TVG

Leinster, winner of this past July’s Shakertown (G2), tops an evenly matched field of nine turf sprinters entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 24th running of the $150,000 Woodford Presented by TVG (G2).

The Woodford Presented by TVG, contested at 5½ furlongs on the Keeneland turf course, is the first of five graded stakes on Saturday’s 11-race program that begins at 1:05 p.m. ET. Post time for the stakes, the afternoon’s sixth race, is 3:45 p.m.

Owned by the partnership of Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables and Jean Wilkinson and trained by Rusty Arnold, Leinster has not raced since posting a head victory in the Shakertown. Second in the Woodford last year, Leinster will be ridden by Luis Saez and break from post position eight.

Only two other horses have won the Shakertown and Woodford in the same year: Silver Timber (2010) and Havelock (2013).

Also exiting the Shakertown is DARRS, Inc.’s Extravagant Kid, who finished fifth beaten only 1¼ lengths.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Extravagant Kid was fifth in last year’s Woodford and most recently finished second in the TwinSpires Turf Sprint (G2) Presented by Sysco at Churchill Downs on Sept. 4. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will exit post position one.

The field for the Woodford Presented by TVG, from the inside with riders and weights, is: Extravagant Kid (Gaffalione, 120 pounds), Fast Boat (Adam Beschizza, 120), Real News (Joel Rosario, 120), Just Might (Colby Hernandez, 120), Chaos Theory (Umberto Rispoli, 120), Chaps (Corey Lanerie, 120), Win Lion Win (Shaun Bridgmohan, 120), Leinster (Saez, 122) and Citrus Burst (Joe Talamo, 118).

SNEAKING OUT SET FOR POSSIBLE BREEDERS’ CUP AUDITION
IN THOROUGHBRED CLUB OF AMERICA

Kevin Nish’s KMN Racing’s homebred filly Sneaking Out has not been sneaking up on anyone in her past two starts and that is one of the reasons trainer Jerry Hollendorfer shipped her to Keeneland from her Southern California base for Saturday’s 40th running of the $200,000 Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) going 6 furlongs on the main track.

“This filly has won two graded stakes, and we felt like she deserved a shot against the best,” Hollendorfer said from Los Alamitos Wednesday morning. “It is an important race before the Breeders’ Cup.”

The California-bred daughter of Indian Evening won the Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos on July 4 and then the Rancho Bernardo (G3) at Del Mar on Aug. 21. Both races were at 6½ furlongs.

Sneaking Out has compiled a record of 12-6-4-0, and Hollendorfer feels she is at the top of her game.

“I think so,” Hollendorfer said of Sneaking Out, whose most recent work at Los Alamitos was
6 furlongs out of the gate in 1:11.60. “Her rider (Umberto Rispoli) is very keen on her and loved her race at Del Mar.”

Rispoli, who was aboard Sneaking Out in a race for the first time at Del Mar, has the mount Saturday.

Sneaking Out arrived at Keeneland Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning took a trip through the Paddock and then jogged.

The TCA is a “Win and You’re In” race for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) to be run here Nov. 7.

“Right now, we are not looking past Saturday,” Hollendorfer said, regarding whether Sneaking Out would stay here with a victory or go back to California. “I’ll discuss it with Kevin and make a decision.”

GALLOPING OUT

Keeneland Racing Analyst Tom Leach talks to these trainers about their horses entered in stakes during Fall Stars Weekend:

Tom Amoss on No Parole in Friday’s Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2).

Andie Biancone, assistant to her father, Patrick Biancone, on Diamond Oops in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix.

Eoin Harty on Gramercy in Friday’s Darley Alcibiades (G1).

Brendan Walsh on Midnight Sands in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix and two runners on Saturday: Born Great in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) and Extravagant Kid in the Woodford (G2) Presented by TVG.

SUNDAY FALL STARS WEEKEND FIELDS

Highlighting opening weekend of Keeneland’s Fall Meet is Fall Stars Weekend, which features 10 stakes worth $3,150,000. Nine of the stakes are part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series with winners of those races receiving fees-paid berths into corresponding races for the 37th World Championships to be held Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland.

The following is a list of probable starters for Fall Stars Weekend stakes Sunday compiled by Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Allison DeLuca.

*$400,000 JUDDMONTE SPINSTER (G1) (Entries taken Thursday; race Sunday, Oct. 4) – Lady Apple (Steve Asmussen), Lady Kate (Eddie Kenneally), Ollie’s Candy (John Sadler), Our Super Freak (Cherie DeVaux), Shedaresthedevil (Brad Cox), Valiance (Todd Pletcher)

*$200,000 BOURBON (G3) (Entries taken Thursday; race Sunday, Oct. 4) – Barrister Tom (Michael Ewing), Big Fish (David Hofmans), Blame the Booze (Wesley Ward), Fire At Will (Mike Maker), Mutasaabeq (Todd Pletcher), Outadore (Ward), Private Island (Ian Wilkes).

*$150,000 INDIAN SUMMER (L) PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT (Entries taken Thursday; race Sunday, Oct. 4) – After Five (Wesley Ward), Bodenheimer (Valorie Lund), Golden Pal (Ward), Roderick (Ward), Royal Approval (Ward).