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Flurry Of Breeders’ Cup Potentials Work At Keeneland Saturday

Seven horses with aspirations to compete in the Nov. 5-6 Breeders' Cup World Championships – including four stakes winners during Keeneland's Fall Stars Weekend on the opening weekend of the Fall Meet – worked over a turf course labeled good Saturday morning at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Peter Brant's Blowout (GB), winner of the Grade 1 First Lady Presented by UK HealthCare and a candidate for the $2 million Grade 1 Maker's Mark Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 6, worked a half-mile on her own in :50.80 for trainer Chad Brown.

Phoenix Thoroughbred III's Tiz the Bomb, winner of the Grade 2 Castle & Key Bourbon and a candidate for the $1 million Grade 1 Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5, worked five furlongs on his own in 1:01.80 for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Also working for McPeek was Arriba Arequipa's Reina de Mollendo (ARG) who covered five furlongs in 1:06.40 on her own in preparation for a possible Filly and Mare Turf start.

Trainer Wesley Ward worked a trio of runners headed by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Westerberg's Golden Pal, winner of the Grade 2 Woodford Presented by TVG.

Winner of last fall's Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and a candidate for this year's $1 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, Golden Pal drilled five furlongs in 1:00.80 with splits of :24.20, :37.20, :49, and 1:00.80. (Click here for a video of the work.)

Other Ward workers were Hat Creek Racing's Averly Jane, winner of the Indian Summer Presented by Keeneland Select, and Gregory Kaufman's Kaufymaker, second in the Indian Summer. Working together for possible starts in the $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint, the undefeated Averly Jane covered five furlongs in 1:03.40 and Kaufymaker went the distance in 1:03.80.

Calumet Farm's Channel Cat, prepping for a possible second start in the $4 million Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, worked five furlongs on his own in 1:02.20 with splits of :25.20, :38.60, :50.40 and 1:02.20 for trainer Jack Sisterson.

Three other possible Breeders' Cup runners posted works on the fast main track.

Also working for Calumet and Sisterson was Lexitonian, who covered 5 furlongs in 1:00.60. Winner of the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt two starts back, Lexitonian is a candidate for the $2 million Grade 1 Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road, runner-up to Letruska in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster, worked a half-mile in :49 for trainer Chad Brown in preparation for a likely third start in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).

Dare To Dream Stable's American Sanctuary, fourth in the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, worked a half-mile in :48.40 for trainer Chris Davis. He is possible for the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance.

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Waterville Lake Stable Set For First Breeders’ Cup With Juvenile Turf Sprint Contender Derrynane

New York-based owners Waterville Lake Stable will enjoy the Breeders' Cup spotlight for the first time when they send out their Empire State-homebred Derrynane in the Grade 2, $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 5 at Del Mar.

Waterville Lake Stable is owned by Richard Leahy in partnership with John W. Meriwether and Tim Tully, all of which are stakeholders in Waterville Golf Links in County Kerry, Ireland, where their name derives. Many horses that race under the Waterville Lake Stable banner are a nod to the ownership group's familiarity with Ireland. Derrynane is named after Derrynane Beach, located on the Ring of Kerry.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Derrynane, a bay daughter of Quality Road, was a winner at first asking with a two-length victory going 5 ½ furlongs in a state-bred maiden special weight on July 22 over good Mellon turf at Saratoga. Following a distant fifth in the open Bolton Landing one month later over a yielding turf at the Spa, Derrynane was an ultra-impressive winner of the five-furlong Woodbine Cares on September 19, which prompted her connections to consider the Breeders' Cup.

“We were very pleased with her run first out,” Leahy said. “When she ran her second race in the Bolton Landing, it was over a bog, and we knew that she was far better than that. Given the timing and the weather, we went to Woodbine and she won quite easily.”

Derrynane is the first progeny out of the graded-stakes placed Hard Spun mare Portmagee, who captured the License Fee in 2017 following a third in that year's Grade 3 Intercontinental, both at Belmont. Portmagee, named after a village near Waterville Golf Links, is currently in foal to More Than Ready.

“From early on, she was extremely good looking and did everything right,” Leahy said of Derrynane. “She seemed very well balanced and well put together. The mother was extremely attractive and well balanced, also. She had a good personality and demeanor. The mother was a sprinter but we never thought there was any reason she couldn't go further.”

The relationship between Leahy and Clement extends over two decades, linking up via former NYRA chairman Peter Karches, who owned horses with Clement at the time. In addition to Waterville Lake Stable, Leahy also owns horses with Clement under his Oak Bluff Stable moniker of which he is the standalone owner.

Leahy and Clement have enjoyed success with Waterville Lake Stable-owned graded stakes winners Mariensky, Strike It Rich and Derrianne as well as New York-bred stakes winners Miss Valentine, Sea Foam and Celtic Sky.

As Oak Bluff Stable, Leahy and Clement have campaigned the graded-stakes placed Therapist, a multiple stakes winner against New York-breds and open company.

“With Christophe the horse always comes first, we like that,” Leahy said.

Leahy speaks high volumes of the New York-bred program.

“I think the New York bred program is a sensational one,” Leahy said. “It's lucrative and in my mind, you're only a van ride away from the best stallions in Kentucky. There's no reason if you have a good mare that you can't produce a competitive horse in New York. It's not easy to win these races. They're competitive races as well. Over the years I've been doing this, the New York-bred horses have gotten more and more competitive.”

Leahy said he is looking forward to the possibility of going to the Breeders' Cup with Derrynane. While it would be a first Breeder's Cup endeavor for Leahy, it would be a second for Waterville Lake partner John Meriwether, who owned Buckhar – the 13th-place finisher of the 1993 Mile.

“We're very excited about her future,” Leahy said. “It's really special. Hopefully, she has a long career ahead of her. I was talking to Christophe's son Miguel the other morning and he was very excited about her breeze last week.”

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Ward Duo Loom Large in Futurity

A spot in the starting gate for the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint will be on the line in Sunday's GIII Futurity S. at Belmont Park.

The Wesley Ward-trained duo of unbeaten Chi Town Lady (Verrazano) and Poppy Flower (Lea), both scratched out of Saturday's loaded GIII Matron S., are the top two choices on the morning-line while taking on the boys here.

Keeneland debut winner Chi Town Lady switched to turf following some time on the shelf to add Saratoga's Bolton Landing S. Aug. 18. Poppy Flower, in the money in all five of her career starts, followed a second behind her aforementioned stablemate in the Bolton Landing with a third-place finish in the Ainsworth S. at Kentucky Downs Sept. 12.

Midnight Worker (Outwork), a game debut winner at the Spa July 24 and third-place finisher in Monmouth's Sapling S. Sept. 5, switches to grass here. Scratched from last Sunday's GII Pilgrim S., Midnight Worker has breezed twice over the Belmont inner turf, including a sharp half-mile in :48.44 (4/20) Sept. 26.

“I worked him a couple of times on the grass and he seemed to breeze pretty well over it, so hopefully he can step up,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It seems like the Outworks are pretty versatile. He's had some winners on both dirt and turf which gives you some options.”

Live Oak homebred Biz Biz Buzz (Fed Biz) graduated smartly after getting bumped at the start in his debut sprinting over the Laurel lawn Sept. 10 while Slipstream (More Than Ready) got it right at third asking with a sharp, front-running score over the Belmont lawn Sept. 18.

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Ward-Trained 3-Year-Old Golden Pal Faces Veteran Extravagant Kid In Saturday’s Woodford

The youngster, 3-year-old Golden Pal, and the veteran, 8-year-old Extravagant Kid, top a field of seven entered Wednesday for Saturday's 25th running of the $200,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by TVG going 5½ furlongs over the Keeneland turf course.

The Woodford Presented by TVG is the first of five graded stakes on Saturday's 11-race program and will go as the sixth race with a 3:40 p.m. post time. First post Saturday is 1 p.m.

Ranlo Investments' Golden Pal will be making his first Keeneland start since winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) here to kick off the World Championships program. Trained by Wesley Ward, Golden Pal finished seventh in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe (G1) at York in England in August in his most recent start.

Golden Pal will exit post two and be ridden by John Velazquez.

DARRS Inc.'s Extravagant Kid, earner of more than $1.6 million and winner of the Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments (G1) in Dubai in March, will be making his first Keeneland start since finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) last November. Prior to that, he finished second in the Woodford Presented by TVG.

Trained by Brendan Walsh, Extravagant Kid drew post position six and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz.

The field for the Woodford Presented by TVG, with riders and weights from the inside, is:

Johnny Unleashed (Gerardo Corrales, 120 pounds)
Golden Pal (Velasquez, 118)
Inhalation (GB) (Adam Beschizza, 120)
Firecrow (Tyler Gaffalione, 120)
Charcoal (Corey Lanerie, 120)
Extravagant Kid (Ortiz, 124)
County Final (Ricardo Santana Jr., 118)

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