Led by Loaded Blue Grass, Trio of Derby Preps Highlight Saturday’s Graded Stakes Lineup

The GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland, featuring a highly anticipated rematch between Dornoch (Good Magic) and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), is one of three GI Kentucky Derby prep races on tap on a fantastic day of racing Saturday.

Dornoch dug back gamely to defeat Sierra Leone in a heart-stopping renewal of the GII Remsen S. at a rain-soaked Aqueduct Dec. 2, then took care of business in a scratched-down GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 2. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, returned with an excellent come-from-behind victory over a sloppy surface at Fair Grounds in the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17.

The Blue Grass field of 11 also includes the Brad Cox-trained duo of GIII Gotham S. Mar. 2 runner-up Just a Touch (Justify) and John Battaglia Memorial S. Mar. 2 winner Encino (Nyquist).

“Just at Touch is a very talented horse,” Cox said. “He's shown talent from day one. He was a little late to get to the races, but it was by design. (Dornoch and Sierra Leone) got to the races a little bit earlier, so obviously they have more seasoning. I think this horse is one of our better 3-year-olds. I'm excited against running against these colts. It's a Grade I with very talented horses. It looks to be one of the better Derby preps to date.”

A pair of unbeatens–'TDN Rising Star' Deterministic (Liam's Map) and Tuscan Sky (Vino Rosso)–lead a field of 13 set for the GII Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct.

Deterministic, an eye-catching debut winner going seven furlongs at Saratoga Aug. 12, showed no signs of rust resurfacing from the bench with an impressive victory in the slop over the aforementioned Just a Touch in the one-turn mile Gotham. Tuscan Sky makes his stakes debut after defeating the talented Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) in an optional claimer on the Risen Star program. Parx invader Uncle Heavy (Social Inclusion) returns to the Big Apple after upsetting the GIII Withers S. over track and trip Feb. 3.

“The Gotham was a very good race and a good field over a wet track–he handled the whole thing well,” trainer Christophe Clement said of the Wood Memorial 7-5 morning-line favorite Deterministic. “It will be interesting to see him going two turns. We'll just go one step at a time. You never know until you try, but his style of racing and the way he trains makes you believe he should stay.”

A pair of last out graded winners–Imagination (Into Mischief) and Stronghold (Ghostzapper)–share top billing in the GI Santa Anita Derby. Imagination posted a career-best 96 Beyer Speed Figure for trainer Bob Baffert while gamely annexing the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 3. Stronghold, second in the GIII Bob Hope S. Nov. 19 and GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 16, broke through with a win in the GIII Sunland Park Derby Feb. 18. Both colts have finished no worse than second in five career starts.

The Blue Grass, Santa Anita Derby and Wood Memorial all offer qualifying points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10) toward the GI Kentucky Derby. Churchill Downs has barred Baffert's trainees from participating in this year's Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks stemming in part from a well-documented medication positive found after Medina Spirit won the 2021 Derby.

There are also a pair of Kentucky Oaks preps on tap at Aqueduct at Santa Anita Saturday.

'TDN Rising Star' Kinza (Carpe Diem), winner of the GIII Las Virgenes S. Feb. 10 and GIII Santa Ysabel S. Mar. 9, will put her perfect record on the line for Baffert in the GII Santa Anita Oaks. The field of five also includes Kopion (Omaha Beach), who reported home second-best behind Kinza last time in the Las Virgenes.

Life Talk (Gun Runner) will look to get back on track in the GIII Gazelle S. at the Big A. The GII Demoiselle S. heroine was a disappointing sixth as the heavy favorite in Tampa's Suncoast S. Feb. 10. Maiden of seven starts Where's My Ring (Twirling Candy) makes the trip from Southern California for the Gazelle following a longshot second in the Santa Ysabel.

Saturday's graded stakes also include a fantastic renewal of the GI Resolute Racing Madison S. The field of eight is led by standouts Alva Starr (Lord Nelson), Red Carpet Ready (Oscar Performance) and Vahva (Gun Runner). Keeneland's stacked Blue Grass program also features the GII Appalachian S., GII Shakertown S. and GIII Commonwealth S., respectively.

Saturday's graded action is rounded out by the GII Carter H. and GIII Distaff S. at Aqueduct and the GIII Monrovia S. at Santa Anita.

The post Led by Loaded Blue Grass, Trio of Derby Preps Highlight Saturday’s Graded Stakes Lineup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Capulet Returns At Chelmsford

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Saturday's Observations features the return of a multiple group-placed son of Justify.

15.30 Chelmsford, Cond, £100,000, 3yo, 8f (AWT)
CAPULET (IRE) (Justify) is a big draw for Chelmsford in this Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions Stakes which acts as part of the “Road To The Kentucky Derby” series. Runner-up in Leopardstown's G2 Champions Juvenile S. and third in the G2 Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket last term, Ballydoyle's relative of the Derby hero Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is among the stable's prime Derby candidates in 2024 and will be tested by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's recent Listed Burradon S. winner Cuban Tiger (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) over a trip probably shy of his optimum.

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Neat Surges Up the Rail to Take Keeneland’s Transylvania

The temperature may be cooler in Lexington this week, but things heated up quickly on opening day at Keeneland with the first graded event of the spring at the Lexington oval coming down to a head bob. It took a photo to determine Red White and Blue Racing LLC's Neat (c, 3, Constitution–Orabella, by More Than Ready) had outpunched Mar. 2 Colonel Liam S. runner-up Cugino (Twirling Candy) by the slimmest of margins in the $400,000 GIII Transylvania S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1 1/16 miles on the lawn. Lagynos (Kantharos), back to the grass after failing to impact in deep waters in the GII Rebel S. and Smarty Jones S. in his last two, was third in a final time of 1:44.93.

“He's getting more mature and he's gotten better every start,” said winning trainer Rob Atras of his charge. “He had beaten arguably some lesser competition and today was a tough test, and he really showed up today. Honestly, I just think [jockey] Reylu [Gutierrez] did a great job. He had a tough time going into the first turn with him and obviously causing some havoc on the backside. He got him settled down and relaxed and really finished strong.”

Coming off a daylight win after settling the pace in the Bob Bork Texas Turf Mile S. Jan. 27 at Sam Houston, Neat was in the first flight early in the Transylvania and just a head off the call at the first fraction–a quarter in :23.98–while rank and visibly fighting Reylu Gutierrez before settling.

Gutierrez was able to ease the chestnut back on the inside, opening it up for the well-traveled Musical Act (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), second Mar. 2 in Dubai in the Jumeirah Classic, to take control with Cugino joining him soon after. Turning for home, Neat found his share of traffic while still covered up in fifth. An eighth from home and still in search of a seam, he split horses, just collaring Cugino from the inside at the last possible second after Musical Act surrendered and Lagynos surged while wide.

“Sometimes these 3-year-olds go through the holes and sometimes they don't,” said Gutierrez. “From the three-eighths pole it was all the horse. It was really tight down there but we waited as long as we could and when he saw that little bit of space, I mean, he certainly overcame me. It was all the horse.”

After two victories at this distance on the turf at both Laurel and Fair Grounds last year at two, Neat closed out 2023 with his lone main track attempt in the Gun Runner S. in New Orleans. He finished well back in sixth that day behind Track Phantom (Quality Road), also dropping his Beyer figure by 24 points. It was back to grass for the Texas Turf Mile, making Neat unbeaten in two starts at three with a four-for-five career tally on the grass.

Last year's Transylvania winner, BBN Racing's Mo Stash (Mo Town), was back again for Keeneland's opening day, winning a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance earlier on Friday's card in his first win since the race last year.

Pedigree Notes:

Hidden Brook Farm and Spruce Lane Farm together bred Neat in Kentucky and sold him to Andrew N. Warren as a Keeneland November weanling for $200,000. The colt returned to the same ring the next September, bringing the same price from Red White and Blue. Hidden Brook had purchased his unraced dam while she was carrying to Violence for $62,000 at Keeneland's 2015 November sale. That foal would become SW & MGSP Louder Than Bombs. The mare, who hails from the same family as 2010 GI Spinaway S. winner R Heat Lightning (Trippi), has a 2-year-old filly by Nyquist–sold for $80,000 to Hat Creek Racing at Keeneland September–and a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro. Orabella aborted her 2024 foal.

Neat becomes the 33rd graded winner for WinStar stallion Constitution, a MGISW and son of Tapit who also has 64 black-type winners and will send just his sixth crop to the races this year. The late More Than Ready, broodmare sire of the Transylvania winner, was also part of the WinStar stallion roster and has 174 stakes winners worldwide out of his daughters.

 

Friday, Keeneland
TRANSYLVANIA S. PRESENTED BY KEENELAND SELECT-GIII, $397,263, Keeneland, 4-5, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:44.93, gd.
1–NEAT, 118, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Orabella, by More Than Ready
                2nd Dam: Hot Trip, by Trippi
                3rd Dam: Yellow Heat, by Gold Fever
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($200,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV;
$200,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Red White and Blue Racing LLC;
B-Hidden Brook Farm & Spruce Lane Farm (KY); T-Rob Atras;
J-Reylu Gutierrez. $226,300. Lifetime Record: 6-4-0-0,
$347,900. *1/2 to Louder Than Bombs (Violence), SW &
MGSP, $264,554. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cugino, 118, c, 3, Twirling Candy–Adorable Miss, by Kitten's
Joy. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($225,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP).
O-West Point Thoroughbreds and Jimmy Kahig LLC; B-Gage Hill
Stables, LLC & W. S. Farish (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III.
$73,000.
3–Lagynos, 118, c, 3, Kantharos–Steamy, by Speightstown.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
KEESEP). O-HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud; B-Robert
Spiegel (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $36,500.
Margins: NO, HF, 1. Odds: 13.41, 5.23, 31.75.
Also Ran: Lord Bullingdon, Musical Act (Ire), Can Group, Depiction, Guy Named Joe, First World War, Full Nelson, Oscar's World, Tennessee. Scratched: Camaro Z, Royal Majesty (GB).
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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