Encino Takes to Dirt, Wires Stonestreet Lexington

Godolphin homebred Encino (Nyquist) took to dirt with aplomb, delivering a 3/4-length, wire-to-wire victory over favored The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) in Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland. With the win, good for 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, Encino is currently ranked 21st on the leaderboard with 40 points.

“Ultimately (whether he starts in the Kentucky Derby) will be up to the Godolphin team–Dan Pride, Michael Banahan, Sheikh Mohammed–and if it's something they want to do, we'll prepare him,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “We'll ship him over to Churchill in a few days regardless. I'll tell you it will either be the Derby or the Preakness. He's sitting at 21st on the list right now and some things would have to happen (to make the Kentucky Derby field). But we'll watch him. Hopefully, he comes out of (the Stonestreet Lexington) in good shape and we'll march forward.”

The 3-1 chance cleared the field of nine beneath Florent Geroux from his outside draw and led through fractions of :23.55 and :47.28. He kicked for home as the one to catch and gamely turned back a challenge from The Wine Steward in the stretch to get the money.

Encino made all three of his previous starts over the synthetic at Turfway Park, led by a win in the John Battaglia Memorial S. last time Mar. 2.

“There was a little bit of a question mark about whether he would like the dirt, but he handled it today,” Cox said. “He had a few works at Keeneland leading up to this race and showed his hand. He seemed like he liked the surface, and he put it all together today.”

Geroux added, “He broke like a shot. I was expecting more speed. It was pretty much all him to the first turn; he pretty much controlled the race from there. He was cruising around there, and when he felt The Wine Steward outside of him, it gave him a little extra push. I think that's what he needed because he was getting a little lost out there on his own. But he had plenty left in the tank, the dirt felt great, and it looks like added distance shouldn't be a problem for him.”

Pedigree Notes:

Encino becomes the 13th graded stakes winner for Nyquist. The winning Bernardini mare Glittering Jewel, a half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby winner and Darley stallion Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}), produced fillies by Street Boss in 2022-23. She was bred to Good Magic for 2024. The Nyquist x Bernardini cross is also responsible for GISW Gretzky the Great and unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Nysos.

Saturday, Keeneland
STONESTREET LEXINGTON S.-GIII, $365,500, Keeneland, 4-13, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.93, ft.
1–ENCINO, 118, c, 3, by Nyquist
                1st Dam: Glittering Jewel, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Bedazzle, by Dixieland Band
                3rd Dam: Majestic Legend, by His Majesty
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $235,600. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0,
$378,315. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus* Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–The Wine Steward, 118, c, 3, Vino Rosso–Call to Service, by To Honor and Serve. ($70,000 Ylg '22 SARAUG; $340,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR). O-Paradise Farms Corp. and David Staudacher; B-Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC, Lakland Farm & Mark Toothaker (NY); T-Michael J. Maker. $57,000.
3–Dilger (Ire), 118, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Post Perfection, by Majesticperfection. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O-Michael J. Ryan; B-Demers Bloodstock (IRE); T-Saffie Joseph, Jr. $28,500.
Margins: 3/4, 8 1/4, HF. Odds: 3.31, 1.49, 36.38.
Also Ran: Secret Chat, Footprint, Liberal Arts, Hades, Lucky Jeremy, How's Ur Attitude. Scratched: Everdoit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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Beaute Cachee Delivers For Chad Brown In Jenny Wiley Upset

Trainer Chad Brown had four starters in Saturday's GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland and of the four, including stablemates Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) and Surge Capacity (Flintshire {GB}), it was his longest shot that delivered Brown his seventh win in the race with 25-1 Beaute Cachee (Fr) taking the field gate to wire for the upset.

Bred in France by Gregor Vischer, Beaute Cachee spent all of 2021 and 2022 overseas before joining Brown in New York in May of last year. The narrowest of winners in her American debut at Belmont, she posted solid results at nearly every track in the area, winning the Violet S. at Monmouth and hitting the board at Saratoga and at Belmont's Aqueduct meet last October before shipping west to try her luck in the GI Matriarch S. Dec. 3. A respectable third in that last start, notably behind a pair of rivals she faced Saturday, Beaute Cachee looked to turn the tables on Matriarch winner and Surge Capacity. Drawn widest of the field in gate 10, the 25-1 longshot, in the expert hands of Frankie Dettori, utilized a good break to work her way over, leading the field just two wide past the wire for the first time. Godolphin runner English Rose chose to take back and settled just off the early pace as Beaute Cachee was now alone up front through fractions of :24.18 and :48.65. Chased by GII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational winner Didia (Arg) around the turn, the leader got first jump and never looked to be in trouble, striding out under Dettori even as English Rose got by Didia late for a closing second.

“She didn't surprise me that she was able to win; she surprised me that she went wire to wire,” admitted Brown. “Leaving the Paddock, Frankie [Dettori] said, 'You know, I plan on being very forward in here.' I thought about it for a minute, and then I thought, 'I'm not going to tell him what to do.' It's such an important win to share; I've never won a Grade I with Frankie, so obviously anything can happen with those magic hands of his. I want to thank the [owners] who weren't able to be here today: Sol Kumin [of Madaket Stables] and his partners, Michael Dubb and Louis Lazzinnaro. They couldn't make it, but it's a huge win for them. This is our seventh Jenny Wiley, and like I said after [winning] the [Toyota] Blue Grass, many, many of the same team members were with us for the first one. The horses may change, but the people working and making it happen haven't, so it's really their win. They did all the work.”

 

Pedigree Note:

One of seven stakes winner and the second graded-stakes winner for G1SW Literato, who notably was also ridden by Frankie Dettori, Beaute Cachee was just a €1,500 purchase at the 2020 Arqana Autumn Flat-Bred Yearling Sale by owner and trainer Gael Barbedette who raced her until she was sold to her current connections upon her move to the United States. She is the third foal out of an unraced dam who has produced one other winner from three to make the races. This is the extended family of MG1SW Indian Ink (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), GSW Feel Like Dancing (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Sign And Seal (Ire) has produced just one foal since Beaute Cachee, reporting a Zanzibari colt in 2021 who went through the Arqana November Yearling Sale in 2022 for €15,000 to Pegasus Bloodstock but has yet to race.

Saturday, Keeneland
JENNY WILEY S.-GI, $511,250, Keeneland, 4-13, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16mT, 1:42.90, gd.
1–BEAUTE CACHEE (FR), 123, m, 5, by Literato (Fr)
1st Dam: Sign And Seal (Ire), by Hurricane Run (Ire)
2nd Dam: Seraphine (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
3rd Dam: Sovereign Touch (Ire), by Pennine Walk (Ire)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. (€1,500 Ylg '20 ARQAU). O-Madaket Stables LLC, Michael Dubb & Louis Lazzinnaro LLC; B-Gregor Vischer (FR); T-Chad C Brown; J-Lanfranco Dettori. $290,625. Lifetime Record: 18-4-5-2, $539,462. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–English Rose (Ire), 123, f, 4, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Sobetsu (GB) (G1SW-Fr, G1SP-Eng, $353,582), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lake Toya, by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Shinko Hermes (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Godolphin LLC; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles Appleby. $93,750.
3–Didia (Arg), 123, m, 6, by Orpen
1st Dam: Delambre (Brz) (G1SP-Brz), by Rainbow Corner (GB)
2nd Dam: Diya, by Ariosto (Arg)
3rd Dam: Sevilla (Arg), by Ringaro
O-Merriebelle Stables & Resolute Racing; B-La Manija (ARG); T-Ignacio Correas IV. $46,875.
Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, 1. Odds: 25.84, 1.71, 5.17.
Also Ran: Surge Capacity, Walkathon, Fluffy Socks, Gina Romantica, Star Fortress (Ire), Elusive Princess (Fr), Embrace Me.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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