Keeneland Barn Notes — Friday, April 5

By Amy Owens —-

FRIDAY, APRIL 5 – OPENING DAY

Keeneland’s 16-day Spring Meet opens today and runs through Friday, April 26.

Keeneland is closed for racing Mondays and Tuesdays.

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MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE) TOPS FIELD FOR MAKER’S MARK MILE
DUO FOR TRAINER WEAVER HEADLINES OVERFLOW FIELD FOR FANDUEL LIMESTONE
ARZAK LOOKS TO COMPLETE WOODFORD-SHAKERTOWN DOUBLE
PALISADES ENTRANT SILENT HEART INSPIRES MEMORIES
OF SIRE, KEENELAND FAN FAVORITE HEART TO HEART
FIELD SET FOR 100TH RUNNING OF $1 MILLION TOYOTA BLUE GRASS
PROSPECTIVE FIELDS FOR UPCOMING STAKES
OPENING WEEK SPECIAL EVENTS

MASTER OF THE SEAS (IRE) TOPS FIELD FOR MAKER’S MARK MILE

Godolphin’s Master of The Seas (IRE), last seen winning the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) Presented by PDJF, headlines a field of eight entered for next Friday’s 36th running of the $600,000 Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) for 4-year-olds and up racing over the turf.

The Maker’s Mark Mile will go as the ninth race on the 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Master of The Seas returns to Keeneland, where he finished second beaten a nose by eventual champion Up to the Mark in last October’s Coolmore Turf Mile (G1).

William Buick has the mount on Master of The Seas from post 4.

Godolphin and Appleby have another runner in the race in Naval Power (GB). Winner of the Singspiel (G2) in Dubai in his most recent start, Naval Power will be ridden by Tyler Gaffalione from post 3.

Charles Fipke’s Shirl’s Speight, winner of the 2022 Maker’s Mark Mile, will attempt to join Wise Dan (2013-2014) and Kip Deville (2007-2008) as the only two-time winners of the race. Eighth behind Master of The Seas in the Breeders’ Cup, Shirl’s Speight will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 6 for trainer Roger Attfield.

Invading from California is Jill Baffert and Debbie Lanni’s Du Jour. Trained by Bob Baffert, Du Jour gained millionaire status by winning the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1) in his most recent start on March 3 at Santa Anita. John Velazquez has the mount from post 7.

DUO FOR TRAINER WEAVER HEADLINES OVERFLOW FIELD
FOR FANDUEL LIMESTONE

Trainer George Weaver’s stakes-winning duo of Crimson Advocate and Amidst Waves headlines a field of 12 plus two also-eligibles entered for next Friday’s fifth running of the $250,000 FanDuel Limestone (L) going 5½ furlongs on the turf for 3-year-old fillies.

The FanDuel Limestone will go as the afternoon’s seventh race with a 4:12 p.m. post time.

Wathnan Racing’s Crimson Advocate won the Queen Mary (G2) at Royal Ascot in England before concluding her 2023 campaign with a sixth-place finish against males in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita. John Velazquez has the mount on Crimson Advocate from post 10.

R. A. Hill Stable, BlackRidge Stables, Swinbank Stables, Big Tuff Stables and Black Type Thoroughbreds’ Amidst Waves, a two-time stakes winner last year and runner-up against the boys in the Indian Summer (L) here in the fall, will be making her first start since finishing 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 12.

ARZAK LOOKS TO COMPLETE WOODFORD-SHAKERTOWN DOUBLE

Sonata Stable’s Arzak will be chasing a bit of Keeneland history Saturday when he goes postward in the 28th running of the $350,000 Shakertown (G2) going 5½ furlongs on the grass.

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Arzak shipped into Keeneland last fall from the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland to post an 11-1 upset in the Woodford (G2) Presented by FanDuel, winning by 2 lengths.

Arzak arrived here Tuesday from Fair Hill for his run in the Shakertown as he attempts to become the fourth horse to win the Woodford in the fall and come back the next spring to win the Shakertown. The other horses to complete the Woodford-Shakertown double are Golden Pal (2021-2022), Silver Timber (2009-2010) and Morluc (2001-2002).

Trombetta said the Shakertown was the comeback target for Arzak after finishing sixth, beaten 2 lengths, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita in November.

Following the Breeders’ Cup, Arzak had some down time in Ocala, Florida, before rejoining the Trombetta string at Fair Hill in February where he has had eight works over the all-weather track in preparation for the Shakertown.

Success on Saturday could bring Arzak back to Kentucky next month for the $600,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2) going 5½ furlongs on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

“We have no plans to stay (after the race),” Trombetta said. “But we could possibly come back.”

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Saturday on Arzak.

PALISADES ENTRANT SILENT HEART INSPIRES MEMORIES
OF SIRE, KEENELAND FAN FAVORITE HEART TO HEART

At first glance, Terry Hamilton’s homebred Silent Heart – an entrant in Sunday’s Palisades (L) – does not resemble his sire, Heart to Heart, but their trainer, Brian Lynch, sees a number of similarities in the two horses.

“He has the tenacity his father had on the track,” Lynch said about the 3-year-old Silent Heart. “He is very competitive, has speed and seems to be getting better all the time. He is on the small side, and Heart to Heart wasn’t a real big horse at that stage of his career either. He looks completely black, and we didn’t see that in his father (a bay).”

“His mind is the same – a real cool, calm horse,” Hamilton said. “I think he’s gonna be a runner like Heart to Heart. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. If he can be anywhere close to his dad, he’ll be a special horse.”

Hamilton raced Heart to Heart, the 2014 champion 3-year-old colt in Canada and a popular runner at Keeneland because of the heart-shaped marking on his forehead that inspired his name along with his game, front-running style. He made nine starts here, highlighted by his 1¾-length score in the 2018 Maker’s 46 Mile (G1) (now the Maker’s Mark Mile) at age 7; was a close second in the 2016 and 2017 renewals of the Maker’s 46 Mile; and was second in the 2017 Shadwell Turf Mile (G1). With 15 wins, including 13 stakes victories, in 41 starts over seven seasons, Heart to Heart bankrolled $2,035,090.

Silent Heart, a member of Heart to Heart’s first crop of foals, never has been worse than third in five races. In his first two races, Silent Heart was the runner-up on the Horseshoe Indianapolis turf and the Churchill Downs dirt. He then won two in a row at Gulfstream Park, on the grass and the all-weather surface.

The colt enters the Palisades off a third-place effort at Gulfstream in the 1-mile Colonel Liam (L) on the turf on March 2 in his only try beyond 5 furlongs.

“At Gulfstream he (mostly) got a chance to run only five-eighths,” Lynch said. “I had the option of the Palisades or the Transylvania ([G3] Presented by Keeneland Select on April 5 at 1 1/16 miles on grass), but I thought he would be more effective with the cutback to 5½ furlongs in the Palisades. I can always stretch him out as time goes on.”

John Velazquez has the mount on Silent Heart from post 5 in the Palisades, which attracted 12 3-year-old colts and two more on the also-eligible list.

Hamilton will miss the Palisades because he is in Phoenix to attend the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four. He plans to be here later in the meet.

FIELD SET FOR 100TH RUNNING OF $1 MILLION TOYOTA BLUE GRASS

Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith’s Sierra Leone is the 2-1 morning line favorite in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered in Saturday’s 100th running of the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass (G1).

Contested at 1 1/8 miles over the main track, the Toyota Blue Grass is the 10th race on the 11-race program with a 5:52 p.m. ET post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

April 13 races. Entries taken Saturday.

$600,000 Jenny Wiley (G1) – Didia (Ignacio Correas IV), Embrace Me (Tom Albertrani), English Rose (IRE) (Appleby), Evvie Jets (Mertkan Kantarmaci), Olivia Maralda (IRE) (Walden), Walkathon (Ian Wilkes).

$400,000 Stonestreet Lexington (G3) – Dilger (IRE) (Saffie Joseph Jr.), Secret Chat (Roderick Rodriguez).

$300,000 Giant’s Causeway (G3) – Elm Drive (Phil D’Amato), Love Reigns (IRE) (Wesley Ward), Secret Money (Brendan Walsh), Shootoutthelights (Ward). Possible: Oeuvre (Chris Block).

OPENING WEEK SPECIAL EVENTS

Throughout the Spring Meet, special events and activities will continue Keeneland’s historic mission to support the Central Kentucky community and the Thoroughbred industry. They include:

Year-round

Through Aug. 16

Keeneland Library is recognizing this year’s historic running of the Toyota Blue Grass at its free exhibit, A Rite of Spring: The 100th Running of the Blue Grass Stakes. The exhibit features photographs that capture race highlights curated from Keeneland Library collections and public submissions from professional and amateur photographers along with memorabilia from noted jockeys Bill Shoemaker, Mike Manganello and Chris Antley and celebrated runners Whirlaway, Riva Ridge, Spectacular Bid and Strike the Gold.

Open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Library is located on the Keeneland campus. 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, Saturday and Sunday

The Hill. Keeneland’s popular tailgating area is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the Spring Meet, weather permitting. No ticket or reservation is required for 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 on The Hill 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.

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. Visit Keeneland.com/tailgating for full details.

The Hill is open from 8 a.m. to 60 minutes after the last race. Amenities are available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Keeneland Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 30 minutes following the final race. Milliners Corner, featuring Christine A. Moore (April 5-7), Wagering Central and Finish Line locations are open race days. On April 5, Draper James will be located just inside the North Grandstand entrance from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday

Sunrise Trackside. 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 donuts at the Starting Gate concession stand while watching horses train. Children’s activities on the first floor of the Grandstand will include a visit with Keeneland mascot Buckles, face painting and games. Mini tours will be available at the Welcome Stand near the Paddock.

The John Deere Tractor Break will take place during the renovation period on the main track from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and include a drawing for a kid’s tractor from John Deere/Meade Tractor. The April 6 Sunrise Trackside will feature the appearance of two-time champion Goodnight Olive in the Paddock between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. On April 6 and 13, a meet and greet with a horse from the Life Adventure Center of Versailles, Kentucky, will be offered in the Walking Ring from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Jockey Autograph Signing. Fans will meet active and retired Keeneland riders and Hall of Famers in an event that benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). Hats, goggles and autograph books that can be signed will be available for purchase; personal items and commemorative Toyota Blue Grass poster may be signed with a donation to PDJF. The event will take place in the North Terrace from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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