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‘One Step At A Time’: Derby Hopeful Keepmeinmind Heads To Oaklawn, Will Aim For Southwest Stakes

Keepmeinmind, among the country's leading 2-year-olds, is scheduled to arrive at Oaklawn between Christmas Day and New Year's Day to begin preparations for a 2021 campaign, the colt's trainer, Robertino Diodoro, said Saturday morning.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind has been in light training at WinStar Farm in Kentucky since breaking his maiden in the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs. The trainer said he hasn't mapped out an early 2021 race schedule for Keepmeinmind, but he likely isn't a candidate for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 22, a one-mile opening-day event that is Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby points races.

“Probably too short for him, especially with the mile here,” Diodoro said. “It's a short lane and stuff.”

Oaklawn's mile races begin and end at the sixteenth pole in the stretch. Diodoro said Keepmeinmind will be considered for the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 15 at Oaklawn. The late-running son of Laoban has raced four times this year (all routes), finishing second in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and third in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 6 at Keeneland before his breakthrough victory as the 2-1 favorite. His last three starts have been at 1 1/16 miles.

Diodoro said Keepmeinmind is jogging at WinStar in advance of shipping to Oaklawn. Keepmeinmind has already banked 18 points to rank second on the early Kentucky Derby leaderboard, and the goal, Diodoro said, is a return to Churchill Downs this spring for the first leg of the Triple Crown. The colt also ran second at Churchill Downs in his Sept. 2 career debut.

“Just one step at a time,” Diodoro said. “It's easier said than done, keeping these horses happy and healthy. It's the same with all horses, but, obviously, our long-term plan is, hopefully, live the dream of being at Churchill in May. But that's a ways out. I won't say anything. Let the horse tell us. We're not going to force anything. He came back really good out of his race and is doing well at WinStar, so we'll just play it by ear.”

David Cohen, Oaklawn's leading jockey in 2019, has ridden Keepmeinmind three times, including his victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Silver Prospector won the 2019 Kentucky Jockey Club before finishing fourth in the Smarty Jones – his 3-year-old debut – and capturing the Southwest.

Diodoro said Dreamer's Disease, who finished sixth in the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, is scheduled to arrive at Oaklawn in early January. Dreamer's Disease, also by Laoban, closed his 2-year-old campaign with a seventh-place finish as the heavy favorite in the $250,000 New York Stallion Series Stakes Dec. 6 at Aqueduct after stumbling badly at the start.

Diodoro, who has never had a Triple Crown starter, already has horses training at Oaklawn.

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Keepmeinmind Puts In Big Late Run Break His Maiden In Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes

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 Faces Stakes Winners King Fury, Sittin On Go In Saturday’s Kentucky Jockey Club

Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (Grade 1) third-place finisher Keepmeinmind will be in search of his first-career victory against a competitive field of nine 2-year-olds, which includes stakes winners King Fury and Sittin On Go, entered in Saturday's 94th running of the $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Run at 1 1/16 miles, the Kentucky Jockey Club is carded as Race 11 of 12 on Saturday's “Stars of Tomorrow II” program featuring all 2-year-old races. First post is 1 p.m. and the Kentucky Jockey Club will go at 5:56 p.m. The race will share the spotlight with its counterpart, the $200,000 Golden Rod (GII) for 2-year-old fillies. The Golden Rod will go as Race 9 at 4:57 p.m.

Churchill Downs' Stars of Tomorrow programs have helped launch the career of more than 50 G1 winners including Kentucky Oaks winners Rachel Alexandra, Believe You Can and Monomoy Girl, Preakness (G1) winner Swiss Skydiver and 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, who won the Kentucky Jockey Club in 2009.

Keepmeinmind has yet to record a victory for trainer Robertino Diodoro but sports a runner-up effort behind likely 2-year-old champion Essential Quality in the $400,000 Breeders' Futurity (G1). Following the Breeders' Futurity, he finished third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile where he was defeated two lengths by Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie.

Diodoro's go-to rider David Cohen has the mount on Keepmeinmind and will break from post position No. 4.

Another juvenile likely to garner attention in the Kentucky Jockey Club is Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm's $98,000 Street Sense winner King Fury. Trained by Kenny McPeek, King Fury will add blinkers for his start in the Kentucky Jockey Club following his seventh-place effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Named after the superstar boxer Tyson Fury, King Fury added blinkers in his most recent work at Churchill Downs, a five-furlong move in 1:00.60.

Brian Hernandez Jr. has the call on King Fury from post 8.

Also entered in the field is Albaugh Family Stable's coupled entry of $200,000 Iroquois (GIII) upset winner Sittin On Go and recent maiden winner Smiley Sobotka. Trained by Dale Romans, Sittin On Go recorded a shocking 24-1 upset victory in the Iroquois by 2 ½ lengths. In his first try at two turns, Sittin On Go was forced very wide in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and finished a non-descript ninth.

Corey Lanerie is named in the program on both horses. Should the bottom part of the entry, Smiley Sobotka, run in the field, there will be a late jockey change. Sittin On Go will break from post 2 while Smiley Sobotka drew post 5.

Trainer Brad Cox entered two of his promising juveniles in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Kueber Racing and Ten Strike Racing's three-length maiden winner Swill will break from the rail with Florent Geroux in the irons and Godolphin's two-length maiden winner Inspector Frost drew post 6 with Hall of Famer John Velazquez in the saddle. Swill, a 2-year-old colt by Munnings, was a wire-to-wire winner in his third start on Sept. 24 at Churchill Downs while Inspector Frost broke his maiden at second asking on Oct. 18 at Keeneland under Geroux. This will be both colt's first start going two turns and they will both remove blinkers for this start.

The complete field for the Kentucky Jockey Club (with jockey and trainer): #1 Sittin On Go (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans); #1a Smiley Sobotka (Corey Lanerie, Dale Romans); #2 Swill (Geroux, Cox); #3 Arabian Prince (Tyler Gaffalione, Dallas Stewart); #4 Keepmeinmind (Cohen, Diodoro); #5 Inspector Frost (Velazquez, Cox); #6 Oncoming Train (Rafael Bejarano, Jimmy DiVito); #7 King Fury (Hernandez, McPeek); and #8 Ultimate Badger (Joe Talamo, Romans).

As a “Prep Season” race on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” the Top 4 finishers in the Kentucky Jockey Club will receive 10-4-2-1 points, respectively.

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Juvenile: Maiden Keepmeinmind Deserves A Shot After Runner-Up Finish In Breeders’ Futurity

Later Friday morning at Keeneland, Southern Equine Stables' Keepmeinmind, runner-up in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1), and stablemate Dreamer's Disease, an easy allowance winner on Oct. 3, drilled 5 furlongs in company in preparation for possible starts in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance on Nov. 6.

With trainer Robertino Diodoro watching trackside, Keepmeinmind with David Cohen aboard broke off 3 lengths behind Dreamer's Disease and Adam Beschizza. At the wire, the difference was a length with Keepmeinmind credited with a :58.20 clocking and Dreamer's Disease in :58.60. The duo galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:11.40.

Diodoro believes Keepmeinmind deserves a shot at the Breeders' Cup even though the son of Laoban is a maiden after two starts. His resume going into the Breeders' Cup is similar to Good Magic, who won the 2017 Juvenile and earned the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old male.

“In the Breeders' Futurity, he got in some traffic on the turn but then David (Cohen) tipped him to the outside and he came on again,” Diodoro said about Keepmeinmind. “I may have different thoughts if he had had the perfect trip, but there are two factors here: one, the trouble he had in the last race, and two, the way he has been training.”

Today's work came on the heels of a :49.20 half-mile on Oct. 17. Keepmeinmind is scheduled to have his final pre-Breeders' Cup work Oct. 30.

Diodoro said if Dreamer's Disease, another Southern Equine homebred by Laoban, does not get in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile field, he would pass on running the colt in the $100,000 Nyquist at 6½ furlongs here on the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup undercard and likely wait for a race at Churchill Downs that month.

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