What’s in a Name: Tilsit

Not far from the Baltic Sea, Tilsit was a contested town of many names, in different languages: it was Tilsit in German, Tilže in Lithuanian, Tylza in Polish, and now Sovetsk in Russian, since 1945. Napoleon signed two treaties in Tilsit in 1807, at the apex of his power: first with the Russian Czar Alexander I (on a raft in the river Neman) and then with the Prussians two days later. A first foal out of very promising mare Multilingual, 3-year-old colt Tilsit, who won at Newcastle by 19 lengths last Saturday, carries a name that is inspired and inspiring.
1st-Newcastle, £5,400, Novice, 6-27, 3-5yo, 8f 5y (AWT), 1:38.03, st. TILSIT (c, 3, First Defence–Multilingual {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $5,858. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Charlie Hills.

An Italian native, Andrea Branchini now lives in Lexington, Ky. where he works in the equine transport industry.

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Fifty Five Will Try For Mount Vernon Repeat Off An Eight-Month Layoff

Peter Brant's Fifty Five will look to repeat as the winner of the $100,000 Mount Vernon as part of a seven-horse field of New York-bred fillies and mares 4-years-old and up on Thursday at Belmont Park.

The millionaire mare won last year's Mount Vernon at one mile on the Widener turf course, building on a second-place effort in the race's 2018 edition for trainer Chad Brown. A 6-year-old daughter of Get Stormy, Fifty Five was slated to make her 2020 debut in the Grade 3 Beaugay on Opening Day, June 3, but will now make her first start off an eight-month layoff looking to pick up where her 5-year-old year ended, with wins in the John Hettinger and Ticonderoga over the Belmont turf.

A graded stakes winner – via a rallying victory the 2017 Grade 3 Florida Oaks – Fifty Five is 11-4-5 in 22 career starts and just as consistent at Belmont, going 7-2-1 in 11 races. Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, aboard for her last five starts, including three wins, will have the return call from the inside post.

Her stablemate, Michael Dubb's War Canoe, ran second in the John Hettinger in September and third in the Ticonderoga before capping her 2019 with a win against optional claimers in November at Aqueduct Racetrack. Also off a layoff, War Canoe will have the services of Irad Ortiz, Jr. from post 3.

Trainer Christophe Clement will also saddle a pair of contenders, including Munchkin Money, who started her 7-year-old season with back-to-back graded stakes appearances, running second in the 1 1/16-mile Marshua's River in January at Gulfstream Park before running seventh on the same track in the Grade 3 Honey Fox at one mile on February 29.

Munchkin Money, a daughter of Freud, wintered at Payson Park in Florida before resuming training in June at Belmont. She will be making her first start in four months, drawing post 4 with Manny Franco in the irons.

“She seems to be training forwardly,” Clement said. “Do we have her back to her best form? I'm not sure yet. She's training well. We're taking a shot. I'm just hoping she's back to her best. I think she can handle anything [firm or softer turf].”

Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Classic Lady will be making her first start since Clement took over the training duties. The 5-year-old daughter of Jimmy Creed will be making her first stakes appearance in her 16th career start, going 3-4-3, and will now look to shine for her new connections in her first start since November when she bested optional claimers by a nose at 1 1/16 miles at the Big A.

Classic Lady has posted six official workouts at Belmont since May, starting on the main track before switching her training to the inner turf in the mornings.

“Her work on turf has been much better than her work on dirt,” Clement said. “She's sound. She looks well and healthy, so we're ready to go.”

Joel Rosario will ride from post 5.

Rounding out the field is Niko's Dream, looking to capture her first stakes for Belmont Stakes-winning trainer Barclay Tagg, in her first stakes appearance of the year [post 7, Dylan Davis]; Kreesie, a winner of the 2018 New York Stallion Stakes Series Cupecoy's Joy for trainer David Donk [post 6, Eric Cancel]; and Fetching, returning to stakes company for the first time in five starts for trainer Mark Casse [post 2, Junior Alvarado].

The Mount Vernon, slated as Race 8 on the nine-race card at 5:04 p.m. Eastern, will feature on America's Day at the Races, produced by NYRA in partnership with FOX Sports, and airing live on FOX Sports and MSG+. Free Equibase-provided past performances are available for races that are part of the broadcast and can be accessed at www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

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Enable One of Eight in Vintage Coral-Eclipse

Juddmonte’s Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) is set for a stern test on her eagerly-awaited return to the track on Sunday, with Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) one of her key rivals in an eight-strong entry for the G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. The dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner is set to reappear for the first time since she lost her 12-race unbeaten sequence when runner-up to Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in pursuit of her hat-trick in Paris last October.

John Gosden’s brilliant mare will be defending her Sandown crown, having begun her campaign last summer with an odds-on victory in the Eclipse. At six, she is due to face a tough challenger in Charlie Appleby’s Ghaiyyath–a year her junior and a dual winner since finishing only 10th of 12 at ParisLongchamp last October. Ghaiyyath made virtually all for emphatic victories in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan and then the re-routed G1 Coronation Cup at Newmarket earlier this month. William Buick is set to team up with the Dubawi horse again and he is anticipating a thorough test for his mount.

Buick said, “It is obviously a tough race, but he is a horse I’m looking forward to riding again as he was great at Newmarket last time in the Coronation Cup. It looks like a real highlight, but that is the Eclipse for you. It has been billed as that before and it is a great race. I know it is only a small field, but it is a very select field and there are world champions in there. This could be the race of the season.”

Among Ghaiyyath and Enable’s potential opponents at Sandown are the mare’s stablemate Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), an impressive winner of the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. at Royal Ascot. Adding further intrigue is the Japanese mare Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB), winner of the G1 Nassau S. last season. Aidan O’Brien’s chief hope is last year’s G1 Juddmonte International winner Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was below-par at Ascot on his reappearance, and he may be joined by stablemate Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}) and Bangkok (Ire) (Australia {GB}) complete the field.

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Keeneland At Home: Unique Opportunity For Fans To Watch, Wager On Summer Meet

Keeneland has announced Keeneland at Home Presented by Central Bank, which offers a variety of creative and fun ways for fans to remotely enjoy Keeneland's five-day Summer Meet, to be held July 8-12. The season, which accommodates a portion of the 16-day Spring Meet that Keeneland was forced to cancel due to the COVID-19 outbreak, will be held without fans.

“Fans flock to Keeneland during our race meets, and we will miss seeing thousands of faces in the stands for the Summer Meet, but we look forward to delivering their favorite race-day traditions so they can hold watch parties at home and enjoy Keeneland,” Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. “From recipes for Keeneland's favorite foods and drinks such as Maker's Mark Bread Pudding, Keeneland Burgoo and the Keeneland Breeze to details about our daily programming and wagering opportunities, Keeneland has curated a selection of ways to safely enjoy the races at home.”

New to the race-day broadcast lineup for the Summer Meet is “Keeneland at Home Presented by Central Bank,” a 30-minute “pre-game show” on Facebook Live, YouTube and Periscope at 12:15 p.m. ET. Hosted by Christina Blacker, the program will feature a number of race-day experiences to kick off your at-home watch party, including lessons in BETology, libations prepared by Maker's Mark, handicapping picks from Equibase's Ellis Starr and more.

“Central Bank is excited to be involved with Keeneland at Home, a unique opportunity to make everything we love about Keeneland accessible to people regardless of where they are so they can experience the Summer Meet at home,” Central Bank Chairman, President and CEO Luther Deaton Jr. said. “This program is the latest chapter in Central Bank's long-standing relationship with Keeneland, which, of course, includes sponsorship of the historic Ashland (G1) for 3-year-old fillies. When the Ashland was moved from April 4 to July 11 during the Summer Meet, Central Bank's presentation of Keeneland at Home became a natural partnership.”

Keeneland at Home kits available from The Keeneland Shop

To help fans create the Keeneland experience for their in-home watch parties, The Keeneland Shop is offering a selection of Keeneland at Home Kits that fans are able to craft to suit their taste and style. Kits, which include branded drinkware, apparel and accessories, are available in Pick 2, Pick 3 and Pick 4 bundles via The Keeneland Shop online store. Fans are encouraged to place their orders before the July 8 opening day to be able to enjoy the kits during all five days of racing.

Purchases of Keeneland at Home kits over $35 made through July 12 will come with a commemorative Summer Meet print by Kayla Weber, a bag of Keeneland's Brown Butter Popcorn and a set of Keeneland saddle towel yard flags.

TV Coverage Focuses on Handicapping

During the Summer Meet, races will begin each day at 1:05 p.m. ET, and TVG will present live, on-site coverage of all the day's racing starting at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, Keeneland has expanded its offerings to enable fans to access live racing coverage through new channels at home.

In addition to the live stream on Keeneland.com and KeenelandSelect.com, fans may stream the entire card on Facebook Live and YouTube beginning at 12:55 p.m. daily. Keeneland also has enhanced its viewing experience on its popular Race Day mobile app with new video features that allow users to watch live coverage while navigating throughout the app.

Race-day programming will begin at 11:30 a.m. with “Today at Keeneland,” a 30-minute preview show with handicapping picks and discussion of horses of interest. Racing analysts Gabby Gaudet and Scott Hazelton host “Today at Keeneland,” which airs live on TVG2, The CW Lexington and WKYT.com and is streamed live on Keeneland.com, KeenelandSelect.com and Facebook Live. Fans will also have the opportunity to tune in to a live Winner's Circle Camera Presented by Coolmore.

Wager via Keeneland Select; Download Free Programs at Keeneland.com

During the Summer Meet, Keeneland will offer complimentary race-day programs, which can be downloaded at Keeneland.com or through the Keeneland Race Day app.

Fans may wager on the Summer Meet by signing up for an account with Keeneland Select, Keeneland's online wagering platform. Keeneland Select will offer a special bonus for new sign-ups: wager $100 on the Summer Meet and receive $50 back. This is on top of Keeneland Select's lucrative sign-up bonus, which will earn a player $100 after he or she wagers $300 within the first 30 days.

In addition, Red Mile will conduct drive-thru wagering during the Summer Meet from 8 a.m. until the final post at Keeneland.

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