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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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Letruska Continues Her Dominance Of Distaff Division With Spinster Win

Far and away the best that the distaff division has had to offer in 2021, Letruska demonstrated why she is already the heavy favorite for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, taking the lead right out of the gate in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes and easily holding off a field of five others at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Under jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., the 5-year-old mare followed the same strategy she used in her last-out victory in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., easily moving to the front as the field ran into the first turn. Setting fractions of :24 for the first quarter and :47.89 for the first half, Ortiz gave his mare a breather on the backside and then picked up the pace again around the far turn.

Into the stretch, Letruska kicked away from the field, putting 3 1/2 lengths between her and second-place Dunbar Road before Ortiz powered her down. At the wire, the daughter of Super Saver was 1 3/4 lengths in front, running the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.01.

Letruska paid $2.80, $2.10, and $2.10. Dunbar Road $3.40 and $2.20. Bonny South paid $2.40.

As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, Letruska's win in the Spinsters earns her another fees-paid, guaranteed spot in the starting gate for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. The mare also has victories in other Win and You're In events, including the G1 Ogden Phipps, the G1 Fleur de Lis, and the Personal Ensign.

Bred in Kentucky by owner St. George Stables, Letruska is out of the Successful Appeal mare Magic Appeal. She is trained by Fausto Gutierrez. With her win in the G1 Spinster, the 5-year-old mare has six wins in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 22-17-1-1 and career earnings of $2,236,459.

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Letruska Tough to Beat in Spinster

With the retirement of both Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) and Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil), Letruska (Super Saver) stands head and shoulders above the older mare division and is currently ranked second behind only Knicks Go (Paynter) among all runners in the country on the latest NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. She'll look to put her raw brilliance on display over her home track Sunday in Keeneland's GI Juddmonte Spinster S., a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.

The powerful 5-year-old bay beat both Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver fair and square in the GI Apple Blossom H. in April when she started a four-race graded win streak that included the Aug. 28 GI Personal Ensign S. in her last out. She's been training like a beast, bulleting in eight of her last nine works, including in her most recent five-panel move at Keeneland Oct. 2 in :59 flat (1/55). She does her best work from the lead, then simply runs her competition off their feet. The former Mexican star has now won seven graded stakes in the U.S., including her last two at the Spinster's nine-furlong distance and three Grade Is. Letruksa is a head shy of being unbeaten on the year in six starts and has already won three”Win and You're In” races this season. She'll look to make it four in the Spinster.

Of the competition, Bonny South (Munnings) gave Letruska a scare in the Personal Ensign, getting within a half-length when she unleashed a strong closing kick. The blaze-faced chestnut also finished behind the likely champ in the GI Ogden Phipps S. Bonny South has just one win on the year, but it was here at Keeneland in the GIII Doubledogdare S. during the Spring Meet, so the track won't be an issue.

Grade I winner Dunbar Road (Quality Road) hasn't won this year, but she got a 100 Beyer when fourth behind Letruska in the Personal Ensign and shipped in from Belmont when she could have stayed at the same distance–albeit over one turn–in Sunday's GII Beldame S. Multiple graded winner Envoutante (Uncle Mo) and listed winner Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) are both Grade I-placed, but each would need a career-best effort to come close to Letruska.

The post Letruska Tough to Beat in Spinster appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Leading Lady Letruska Tops Field Of Seven For ‘Win And You’re In’ Spinster

St. George Stable's Letruska, who has firmly established herself as the leading mare in the land, heads a field of seven fillies and mares entered Thursday for Sunday's 66th running of the $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1) at Keeneland.

Scheduled as the ninth race on Sunday's 10-race program, the Juddmonte Spinster is a Breeders' Cup Challenge race with the winner receiving a fees-paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to be run Nov. 6 at Del Mar. Post time for the Juddmonte Spinster is 5:15 p.m. ET with first post at 1 p.m.

Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has had her Breeders' Cup ticket punched three times by virtue of victories in the Ogden Phipps (G1), Fleur de Lis (G2) and Personal Ensign (G1) Presented by Lia Infiniti. Prior to the Ogden Phipps victory, Letruska started her four-race win streak with a nose victory over champion Monomoy Girl in the Apple Blossom (G1) in April at Oaklawn Park.

Since taking the Personal Ensign on Aug. 28, Letruska has had two bullet works at Keeneland. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount Sunday from post position four.

Back to challenge Letruska from the Personal Ensign are Juddmonte's Bonny South and Peter Brant's Dunbar Road.

Trained by Brad Cox, Bonny South has been a runner-up twice to Letruska. She came up 2¾ lengths short in the Ogden Phipps and was a half-length shy in the Personal Ensign. Winner of the Baird Doubledogdare (G3) here this spring, Bonny South will be ridden Florent Geroux out of post position two.

Dunbar Road finished fourth in the Personal Ensign, beaten just three-quarters of a length. Trained by Chad Brown, Dunbar Road was third in last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff here. In her only other Keeneland start, she ran third in the 2019 Juddmonte Spinster.

Dunbar Road will exit post one under jockey Flavien Prat.

The field for the Juddmonte Spinster, with riders and weights from the inside, is:

Dunbar Road (Prat, 124 pounds)
Bonny South (Geroux, 124)
Town Avenger (Julien Leparoux, 121)
Letruska (Ortiz Jr., 124)
Envoutante (Brian Hernandez Jr., 124)
Crystal Ball (Tyler Gaffalione, 124)
High Regard (Rafael Bejarano, 124)

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