Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith's Keepmeinmind added to the freshman tally of stallion Laoban with a win in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Jockey David Cohen rode the juvenile to his maiden triumph as the 2-1 favorite; the pair completed 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track in 1:44.52. Trained by Robertino Diodoro, Keepmeinmind was third last out in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
Also the runner-up in the G1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, Keepmeinmind has collected a total of 18 points on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Smiley Sobotka led the way through fractions of :24.00 and :48.00, before being headed by stakes winner King Fury at the head of the lane. The frontrunner pulled away again, but didn't have enough left to fend off the late run of early trailer Keepmeinmind.
Still last at the three-sixteenths pole, Keepmeinmind wove through traffic to find clear running on the outside in the stretch. Cohen drove Keepmeinmind firmly down the lane to break his maiden by three-quarters of a length over Smiley Sobotka. Arabian Prince checked in third, and Swill was fourth.
Bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stable, Keepmeinmind is out of the unraced Victory Gallop mare Inclination. Raced by his breeder to a second on debut at Churchill Downs, the colt also ran second in the Breeders' Futurity in those colors. He was sold to his current ownership before finishing third in the Breeders' Cup. Overall, the colt's record stands at one win, two seconds, and a third from four starts, with earnings just shy of $400,000.
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Keepmeinmind (Laoban) entered Saturday’s GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. a maiden, but with board finishes in each of his three previous appearances, including two at Grade I level. The bay colt, last for the opening 6 1/2 furlongs, came with a barnstorming finish to graduate in style, earning 10 points towards next year’s GI Kentucky Derby in the process.
Favored at 2-1, Keepmeinmind was clearly last into stride and was taken in hand by David Cohen, as Smiley Sobotka (Brody’s Cause) set the pace at the fence from Oncoming Train (Mineshaft) and King Fury (Curlin), who improved three wide into the backstretch. Still at the tail of the field, though not far off of the leaders through the middle furlongs, Keepmeinmind was guided down right onto the rail for the run around the far turn and was quietly handled as they approached the stretch. Cohen got after his mount in earnest at the quarter pole, split horses, produced Keepmeinmind on the grandstand side and raced over the top of long-time leader Smiley Sobotka for a stylish victory. Arabian Prince (Mshawish) made mild progress from the latter third of the field to round out the trifecta. The final time was 0.54 second slower against the clock than the GII Golden Rod S. two races earlier.
A debut second to Arabian Prince in a one-mile maiden rained onto the main track here Sept. 2, Keepmeinmind outran odds of 52-1 to be second to Essential Quality (Tapit) in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 3 and bridged most of a 17-length deficit in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, coming from last to finish two lengths’ third behind Essential Quality.
Pedigree Notes:
Keepmeinmind is the third stakes winner and joins beaten GII Golden Rod S. favorite Simply Ravishing as graded winners for their first-crop sire (by Uncle Mo). Both he and Golden Rod winner Travel Column are out of mares by GI Belmont S. hero Victory Gallop who were 17 and 14 years of age, respectively, when foaling their produce. Keepmeinmind is out of a half-sister to MSW & GISP Mellow Fellow (Belek) and SW & MGSP Zawzooth (Unbridled’s Song) and has a yearling half-brother by Honor Code and a weanling full-brother. Inclination was most recently bred to Practical Joke.
Saturday, Churchill Downs
KENTUCKY JOCKEY CLUB S.-GII, $200,000, Churchill Downs, 11-28, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:44.52, ft.
1–KEEPMEINMIND, 122, c, 2, by Laoban
1st Dam: Inclination, by Victory Gallop
2nd Dam: Lady Blockbuster, by Silent Screen
3rd Dam: Dunvegan Dancer, by Lt. Stevens
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED-STAKES WIN. O-Cypress
Creek LLC & Arnold Bennewith; B-Southern Equine Stables, LLC
(KY); T-Robertino Diodoro; J-David Cohen. $119,040. Lifetime
Record: MGISP, 4-1-2-1, $394,320. *1/2 to In Jack’s Memory
(Malibu Moon), GSP, $100,553. **10th winner and third
stakes winner for freshman sire (by Uncle Mo). Werk Nick
Rating: A++. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Smiley Sobotka, 122, c, 2, Brody’s Cause–Dance
Thewayyouare, by Mineshaft. ($185,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG).
O-Albaugh Family Stables LLC; B-Track West Racing Inc. (ON);
T-Dale L. Romans. $38,400.
3–Arabian Prince, 122, c, 2, Mshawish–Jolene, by Malibu
Moon. ($160,000 Wlg ’18 KEENOV; $235,000 Ylg ’19 FTSAUG).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds & William Sandbrook; B-M.
Taylor, J. Taylor, BGT LLC, G. E. Saufley & Louis Brooks Ranch
LP (KY); T-Dallas Stewart. $19,200.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, 2. Odds: 2.00, 3.50, 13.70.
Also Ran: Swill, King Fury, Sittin On Go, Oncoming Train, Ultimate Badger, Inspector Frost. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
The post Laoban Colt Graduates in Kentucky Jockey Club appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
OXO Equine's Travel Column made an impressive run to avoid trouble at the eighth pole in winning Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The 2-year-old daughter from the first crop of Frosted was last early and passed all eight of her rivals to win by a length, stopping the clock in 1:43.98 for 1 1/16 miles over the fast main track. Trained by Brad Cox, the filly was ridden to victory at odds of 5-1 by jockey Florent Geroux.
The win earned Travel Column 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
Last early after being crowded and pushed back at the start, Travel Column stayed wide near the rear of the pack during the early running. Longshot Farsighted lead the way through fractions of :23.77 and :48.21, tracked by the favorite Simply Ravishing.
Simply Ravishing, the G1 Alcibiades winner, grabbed the lead around the turn but couldn't hold on, and was headed by Clairere at the three-sixteenths pole. Meanwhile, Travel Column went wide to range into contention but still had five lengths to make up at the head of the lane.
Near the inside, Travel Column had to shift out four-wide at the eighth pole for clear running room, and was able to run down her foes in the final sixteenth of a mile. Beaten a length in second was Clairere, and the previously undefeated Coach finished third. Favorite Simply Ravishing was fourth.
Bred in Kentucky by Mr. and Mrs. Bayne Welker Jr. and Denali Stud, Travel Column was an $850,000 yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select sale. Out of the multiple stakes-winning Victory Gallop mare Swingit, the filly is a half-sister to $2 million-earner Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday).
Travel Column won her debut at Churchill Downs by 4 1/4 lengths with a pace-pressing run, then missed the start and could do no better than third in the G1 Alcibiades at Keeneland. Her win in the Golden Rod improves her record to two victories from three starts and earnings of $209,184.
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