Keeneland Barn Notes — Monday, March 29

By Amy Owens —-

MONDAY, MARCH 29

Keeneland’s 2021 Spring Meet opens Friday and runs through Friday, April 23.
First post every day is 1:05 p.m. ET.

Keeneland is closed for racing Easter Sunday, April 4.

Click here for Keeneland’s 2021 Media Guide.

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· MY GIRL RED TOPS FIELD OF SEVEN FOR OPENING-DAY BEAUMONT PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT

· FIELDS EXPECTED FOR KEENELAND’S APRIL 3 STAKES

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MY GIRL RED TOPS FIELD OF SEVEN FOR OPENING-DAY BEAUMONT PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT

Erich Brehm’s My Girl Red, stylish winner of last summer’s Sorrento (G2) at Del Mar, headlines a field of seven 3-year-old fillies entered Monday for Friday’s 36th running of the $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select.

Run over the Beard Course of 7 furlongs, 184 feet, the Beaumont offers 17 points toward the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the first- through fourth-place finishers.

The Beaumont will go as the afternoon’s eighth race with a 4:57 p.m. post time. First post time for Friday’s 10-race program that opens the 15-day Spring Meet is 1:05.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux, My Girl Red will be making her 2021 debut on Friday. James Graham will be aboard for the first time and break from post one.

Two fillies coming out of Florida may provide challenges to My Girl Red.

West Point Thoroughbreds, John Ballantyne, William Freeman and Michael Valdes’ Lady Traveler finished second in the Forward Gal (G3) at Gulfstream in her most recent start on dirt. Trained by Dale Romans, Lady Traveler will break from post five under Corey Lanerie.

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s Farsighted, winner of the Any Limit at Gulfstream in her most recent start, returns to Keeneland where she broke her maiden last fall before running second in the Songbird on the Breeders’ Cup’s Future Stars Friday undercard. Julien Leparoux has the mount and will break from post three.

The field for the Beaumont, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: My Girl Red (Graham, 120 pounds), Slumber Party (Joel Rosario, 118), Farsighted (Julien Leparoux, 118), Amalfi Princess (Tyler Gaffalione, 118), Lady Traveler (Lanerie, 118), Cilla (Colby Hernandez, 118) and Twenty Carat (Luis Saez, 118).

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE TURF WINNER FIRE AT WILL
HEADLINES KENTUCKY UTILITIES TRANSYLVANIA

Three Diamonds Farm’s Fire At Will, winner of last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) here, will face five rivals in Friday’s 33rd running of the $150,000 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania (G3) for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.

The Transylvania will go as the ninth race with a 5:30 p.m. post time.

Trained by Mike Maker, who saddled Field Pass to a victory in the 2020 Transylvania, Fire At Will returns to the turf after finishing eighth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) on dirt in his most recent start. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount and will break from post position four.

Top threats to Fire At Will could come from Bantry Farms’ Barrister Tom, winner of the More Than Ready Juvenile at Kentucky Downs last fall, and Stuart Janney III’s Scarlett Sky, runner-up in the Palm Beach (L) at Gulfstream Park in his most recent start.

Trained by Michael Ewing, Barrister Tom will be making his 2021 debut and break from post five under Drayden Van Dyke.

Joel Rosario has the mount on Scarlett Sky and will break from post one for trainer Shug McGaughey, who won the 2011 Transylvania with Air Support.

The field for the Transylvania, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Scarlett Sky (Rosario, 118 pounds), Palazzi (Chris Landeros, 120), Breadman (Luis Saez, 118), Fire At Will (Gaffalione, 123), Barrister Tom (Van Dyke, 120) and Earls Rock (IRE) (Florent Geroux, 120).

FAUCI TO GIVE PALISADES TURF SPRINT A SHOT

Lindy Farms and Ice Wine Stable’s Fauci, never worse than second in four career starts, will begin his 2021 campaign Friday when he headlines a field of 10 3-year-olds entered Monday for the second running of the $100,000 Palisades Turf Sprint going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

The Palisades Turf Sprint will go as the seventh race Friday afternoon with a 4:24 p.m. post time.

Trained by Wesley Ward, Fauci ran second to stablemates Golden Pal in the Skidmore at Saratoga and Outadore in the Juvenile Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs to close his 2020 campaign.

Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Fauci and will break from post position eight.

Returning to Keeneland, where he won the Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select last October, is Kristin Boice and Marylou Holden’s Bodenheimer.

Trained by Valorie Lund, Bodenheimer closed 2020 with an eighth-place finish behind Golden Pal in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) here. Brian Hernandez Jr. will be back aboard and break from post two.

The field for the Palisades Turf Sprint, with riders and weights from the inside, is: Lookin for Loki (Mitchell Murrill, 118 pounds), Bodenheimer (Hernandez, 120), Chasing Artie (Joel Rosario, 118), Blameworthy (Florent Geroux, 118), Smokin’ Jay (Luis Saez, 118), Rustler (Corey Lanerie, 118), Unitedandresolute (James Graham, 118), Fauci (Gaffalione, 118), Lock Up (Drayden Van Dyke, 118) and J C’s Champ (Emmanuel Esquivel, 118).

HUSH OF A STORM WORKS BULLET 5 FURLONGS
FOR ANTICIPATED TOYOTA BLUE GRASS START

Hush of a Storm showed his readiness for a possible start in Saturday’s $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) by working 5 furlongs in :59.80 after the first renovation break Monday morning at Keeneland. The time over a fast track was the fastest of five at the distance.

With jockey Santiago Gonzalez up, Hush of a Storm started 5 lengths in back of Poseidon Wrath, an unraced 3-year-old, passed his workmate at the eighth pole and was 8 lengths in front at the finish line. Fractions for the work were :24.40, :36.40, :59.80 and out 6 furlongs in 1:12.60.

“I thought he worked well,” said Bill Morey, who trains Hush of a Storm for the Joseph P. Morey Jr. Revocable Trust.

Morey scratched Hush of a Storm out of last Saturday’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park for the opportunity to run in the Toyota Blue Grass.

Hush of a Storm has won his past three starts, all in two-turn races on the all-weather surface at Turfway. In his lone start on dirt, Hush of a Storm finished eighth in his debut going 7 furlongs at Churchill Downs.

GALLOPING OUT

Jimmy Bell, President of Godolphin USA, owner of undefeated champion and Toyota Blue Grass (G2) hopeful Essential Quality, is a guest on the NTRA National Media Teleconference Tuesday at 1 p.m. A podcast of the teleconference will be available online within a few hours of its conclusion and a transcript will be posted within 24 hours at https://www.ntra.com/news-media/audio-archives.

WORK TAB

G. Watts Humphrey Jr.’s homebred Farsighted worked a half-mile in :48.80 in advance of a scheduled start in Friday’s $150,000 Beaumont (G3) Presented by Keeneland Select. Farsighted is trained by Rusty Arnold.

FIELDS EXPECTED FOR KEENELAND’S APRIL 3 STAKES

The first two days of Keeneland’s Spring Meet will feature nine stakes worth a total of $2.5 million. Click here for the nominations and past performances for the races.

Entries for Saturday races will be taken Tuesday. Keeneland will live stream the post position draws for the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and Central Bank Ashland (G1) at Keeneland.com beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

According to Stakes Coordinator Tiffany Bourque, here are the prospective fields for the stakes that day:

$800,000 TOYOTA BLUE GRASS (G2) – Essential Quality (trainer Brad Cox), Hidden Stash (Vicki Oliver), Highly Motivated (Chad Brown), Keepmeinmind (Robertino Diodoro), Rombauer (Michael McCarthy), Sittin On Go (Dale Romans), Tarantino (Rodolphe Brisset). Possible: Hush of a Storm (William Morey).

$400,000 CENTRAL BANK ASHLAND (G1) – Alwayz Late (Bill Mott), Army Wife (Mike Maker), Javanica (Eoin Harty), Malathaat (Todd Pletcher), Moon Swag (Brendan Walsh), Pass the Champagne (George Weaver), Simply Ravishing (Kenny McPeek), Will’s Secret (Dallas Stewart). Possible: Honorifique (Eddie Kenneally), Mia Martina (Graham Motion).

$300,000 MADISON (G1) – Bell’s the One (Neil Pessin), Estilo Talentoso (Juan Arriagada), Fair Maiden (Eoin Harty), Kimari (Wesley Ward), Sanenus (CHI) (Michael McCarthy), Sconsin (Greg Foley). Possible: Unique Factor (Peter Miller).

$200,000 SHAKERTOWN (G2) – American Butterfly (D. Wayne Lukas), Bad Beat Brian (Mike Maker), Bound for Nowhere (Wesley Ward), High Crime (Darrin Miller), Hollis (John Ortiz), Imprimis (Joe Orseno), Johnny Unleashed (Eric Foster), Just Might (Michelle Lovell), Smart Remark (Vicki Oliver), The Critical Way (Jose Delgado).

$200,000 APPALACHIAN (G2) PRESENTED BY JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION – Gift List (GB) (Brian Lynch), Jouster (Todd Pletcher), Oyster Box (Graham Motion), Plum Ali (Christophe Clement). Possible: Navratilova (Rusty Arnold), Saranya (Brad Cox).

$200,000 COMMONWEALTH (G3) – Attachment Rate (Dale Romans), Hidden Scroll (Brad Cox), Hog Creek Hustle (Vickie Foley), Mucho (John Ortiz), Special Reserve (Mike Maker).