Keeneland Barn Notes — Thursday, April 15

By Amy Owens —-

THURSDAY, APRIL 15

The Spring Meet runs through Friday, April 23. First post every day is 1:05 p.m. ET.

Use Keeneland.com to watch live coverage of all Keeneland races during the Spring Meet,
including interviews with winning connections after every stakes.

Click here for complimentary programs and past performances courtesy of Digital Programs Presented by Baird. Keeneland programs will be available for the entire season.

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· SPEECH RETURNS TO KEENELAND TO START SEASON IN BAIRD DOUBLEDOGDARE

· FANTASIOSO (ARG) MAKES U.S. DEBUT IN ELKHORN

· BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES RUNNER-UP DAYOUTOFTHEOFFICE WORKS TOWARD 2021 DEBUT

· PROBABLES FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH

· GALLOPING OUT

· COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP DAY DRAWS 1,700 PARTICIPANTS

· SPRING MEET LEADERS

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SPEECH RETURNS TO KEENELAND TO START SEASON
IN BAIRD DOUBLEDOGDARE

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Madaket Stables and Heider Family Stables’ Speech will return to the scene of her biggest triumph when she kicks off her 2021 campaign in Friday’s 26th running of the $100,000 Baird Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Speech arrived at Keeneland Tuesday night to begin preparations for the 1 1/16-mile race, the same distance of the Central Bank Ashland (G1). She won that race by 3 lengths here last summer.

“I liked the fact she could come back over a race track and trip she had excelled at before,” McCarthy said via text of opening her campaign in the Baird Doubledogdare.

Speech closed her 2020 campaign by cutting back to 7 furlongs in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland in which she finished sixth behind eventual champion Gamine. After some time off, Speech returned to the work tab at Santa Anita Feb. 11 and had her final work for the Baird Doubledogdare last Saturday going 5 furlongs in 1:00.40.

“It is a long year and there are plenty of options for her down the road,” McCarthy said. “We want to take it race by race and hope she earns her way to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1, at Del Mar Nov. 6).”

FANTASIOSO (ARG) MAKES U.S. DEBUT IN ELKHORN

There is a wild card in the deck for Saturday’s 36th running of the $200,000 Elkhorn (G2) and his name is Fantasioso (ARG).

Owned by Bloom Racing Stable and I. C. Racing, Fantasioso will be making his U.S. debut in Saturday’s Elkhorn going 1½ miles on the turf.

“I got him at the Fair Grounds at the end of November,” trainer Ignacio Correas IV said. “I have watched his races in Argentina. He is a multiple Group 3 winner and (is four times) Group 1-placed.”

Fantasioso arrived at Keeneland the first week of March and has been working steadily here. His most recent breeze came last Saturday with a half-mile in :50 over the turf.

“It is a tough race to come back in, but I waited for Keeneland because he needs a mile and a half,” Correas said about the Elkhorn. “I expect a good race from him. The long stretch here will help.”

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE FILLIES RUNNER-UP DAYOUTOFTHEOFFICE WORKS TOWARD 2021 DEBUT

Siena Farm and trainer Tim Hamm’s Dayoutoftheoffice, runner-up in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) here, took another step toward returning to the races Thursday morning by working 5 furlongs in 1:01.40 over a track labeled as good.

“It was uneventful and good,” Hamm said of the work on a chilly morning. “I got her in :12s all the way around.”

Working on her own shortly after 9 a.m., Dayoutoftheoffice reeled off fractions of :12.20, :24.40, :36.40, :49 and 1:01.40 with a 6-furlong gallop out in 1:14 and seven-eighths in 1:28.

Hamm has targeted the 7-furlong, $300,000 Eight Belles (G2) Presented by Smithfield on April 30 at Churchill Downs as the starting point for Dayoutoftheoffice’s 2021 campaign.

“She will have one more work and it will be here or Churchill Downs,” Hamm said.

PROBABLES FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH

Friday, April 23 marks the closing day of Keeneland’s 2021 Spring Meet. The featured race that day is the 59th running of the $150,000 Bewitch (G3). Entries will be taken Sunday, April 18.

According to Keeneland Stakes Coordinator Tiffany Bourque, probable starters in the Bewitch are Cambeliza (trainer Arnaud Delacour), English Affair (Rusty Arnold), Kalifornia Queen (GER) (Chad Brown), Our Closure (Rey Hernandez) and Three Flamingos (Cherie DeVaux).

Possible starters are Daddy Is a Legend (George Weaver) and Dalika (GER) (Al Stall Jr.).

GALLOPING OUT

Terry Hamilton’s Heart to Heart, who made nine career starts at Keeneland and won the 2018 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) here, has been named a 2021 inductee to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Heart to Heart also was second in the 2016 Maker’s Mark Mile and the 2017 Maker’s Mark Mile and Shadwell Turf Mile (G1). Trained by Brian Lynch, he earned more than $2 million with 15 wins in 41 starts and received the 2014 Sovereign Award as champion 3-year-old colt. The 10-year-old, Ontario-bred son of English Channel is at stud at nearby Crestwood Farm.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP DAY DRAWS 1,700 PARTICIANTS

More than 1,700 students representing 35 colleges and universities in 15 states participated in Keeneland’s popular College Scholarship Day Presented by Lane’s End, which was held virtually April 9.

Students had a chance to win a total of $35,000 in scholarships and prize packages provided by local Lexington businesses.

Lane’s End awarded each of these students a $5,000 scholarship and a day at the races: Ryan Carrington and Catherine Tew, who both attend the University of Kentucky.

Coca-Cola and Kentucky Thoroughbred Association were additional sponsors of the event.

Recipients of $2,500 Coca-Cola scholarships were Julianne Williams of Centre College and Nicholas D’Amore of the University of Kentucky.

The $2,000 KTA scholarships went to Carson Barnett of Eastern Kentucky University; Isabella Leslie of the University of Louisville; Andrew Blaydes of Midway University; Melissa Modglin of Murray State University; and Richard Bascom, Brennan Dodds, Nicholas Joseph, Shelbi Snow and Clifford York III of the University of Kentucky.

SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through April 14 (8 days of 15-day season)

Jockey

Starts

Wins

2nd

3rd

Purses

Luis Saez

52

16

7

12

$1,332,356

Joel Rosario

42

11

6

5

$1,142,617

Tyler Gaffalione

38

9

8

6

$677,491

Irad Ortiz Jr.

24

5

7

3

$499,142

James Graham

32

5

2

3

$208,845

Trainer

Starts

Wins

2nd

3rd

Purses

Wesley Ward

24

8

8

2

$681,611

Todd Pletcher

14

8

1

3

$694,098

Brad Cox

22

7

6

2

$1,008,809

Ben Colebrook

11

5

0

1

$183,305

Rusty Arnold

11

4

1

3

$209,422

Owner

Wins

Juddmonte (Fahad bin Khalid)

3

Three Diamonds Farm (Kirk Wycoff)

3

Castleton Lyons (Shane Ryan)

2

Godolphin (Mohammed Al Maktoum et al)

2

Merriebelle Stable (John Moores and Charles Noell)

2

Kenneth L. and Sarah K. Ramsey

2

Shadwell Stable (Rick Nichols)

2

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