Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

Friday’s Insights: ‘Rising Star’ Returns at Keeneland

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency

6th-Keeneland, $83K, AOC, 4/up, f/m, 8.5f, post time: 3:51 p.m. ET
Robert and Lawana Low's current crop of 4-year-olds includes leading U.S. turf horse Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and 'TDN Rising Star' SPICE IS NICE (Curlin), who dips down into allowance company for her seasonal debut. An impressive 12-length maiden winner at first asking last January, she was runner-up in the GII Davona Dale S., but only fifth to Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. An easy Belmont allowance winner last July, the $1.05-million Keeneland September yearling and daughter of GISW Dame Dorothy (Bernardini) makes her first start since a sixth in the GI Alabama S. at Saratoga Aug. 15. TJCIS PPs

Pricey Into Mischief Colt Gets Going at Aqueduct…
1st-Aqueduct, $80K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, post time: 1:20 p.m. ET
ABSOLUTE COURAGE (Into Mischief) was the most expensive of 17 of his all-conquering stallion's offspring to sell as foals in 2018 when fetching $500,000 at KEENOV (the second-priciest was future 'TDN Rising Star' and GSW Mutasaabeq at $425,000). The half-brother to MSP Thanks Mr. Eidson (More Than Ready) found himself back in the Keeneland sales pavilion 10 months later, hammering for $800,000 to the bid of Courtlandt Farms. The Jan. 28 foal is out of an unraced daughter of GSW Profit Column (Private Account), the dam of GSW/GISP Final Round (Storm Cat) and SW Countess Curlin (Curlin). Similarly, Supply and Demand (Exaggerator) was the most expensive weanling from the first crop of his Classic-winning stallion, selling for $230,000 at KEENOV in 2018. The gelding is out of a full-sister to MGSW/GISP Redeemed (Include). TJCIS PPs

Lothenbach Firster Looks Live in Keeneland Finale…
Owner Robert Lothenbach bought a dozen horses at the 2019 Keeneland September sale for $3,235,000, and FINE COTTON (Curlin) looks to repay some of his $450,000 investment in the Friday finale in Lexington. The May 1 foal is out of the unraced Carolina Cotton (Majesticperfection), who was purchased by Woodford Thoroughbreds for $370,000 with this filly in utero at KEENOV in 2017. Majesticperfection is the sire of Lothenbach's GISW Bell's the One. Fine Cotton's second dam includes Whatdreamsrmadeof (Graeme Hall), the Grade II-placed dam of MGISW Curalina (Curlin). TJCIS PPs

The post Friday’s Insights: ‘Rising Star’ Returns at Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Cross Country Pick 5 Features Stakes From Aqueduct, Oaklawn, Keeneland

The New York Racing Association, Inc. [NYRA] will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday, April 10, featuring racing action from Aqueduct Racetrack, Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas and Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/cross-country-wagers.

The Big A will kick off the sequence with a one-mile allowance contest for 3-year-olds and up on the main track in Race 7 at 4:42 p.m. Eastern. An eight-horse field will see the Rudy Rodriguez-trained Yankee Division, who was third in the Alex M. Robb in December at the same track, take on challengers including Arham, a Todd Pletcher trainee making just his third career start after a debut win and a runner-up effort last out.

Keeneland will open the Cross Country Pick 5's stakes action with the $100,000 Giant's Causeway for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up going 5 ½ furlongs on the Haggin turf course in Race 8 at 4:57 p.m. Into Mystic, trained by Brendan Walsh, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite and boasts a record of 17-5-4-3 with purse earnings of $340,273.

Aqueduct will feature the first turf stakes of the year on the NYRA circuit when three-time graded stakes-winner Decorated Invader will take aim of the $100,000 Danger's Hour for 4-year-olds and up going one mile in Race 8 at 5:19 p.m. Decorated Invader, trained by Christophe Clement, enters his 4-year-old year after posting three victories in six starts as a sophomore, including back-to-back Grade 2 scores in the one-mile Pennine Ridge by 4 3/4 lengths in June at Belmont Park and following with a 1 1/4-length victory in the Hall of Fame in July at Saratoga Race Course.

Trainer Chad Brown will send out two in the Danger's Hour with Analyze It and the British-bred Delaware. Analyze It is also a three-time graded stakes-winner, including the Grade 3 Red Bank going one mile in September at Monmouth Park.

Action shifts back to Keeneland for the Grade 3, $200,000 Lexington for 3-year-olds competing at 1 1/16 miles in a qualifier for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby with 20-8-4-2 points on the line to the top-four finishers. The Lexington, slated for Race 9 at 5:30 p.m., will see Proxy look to add to the 34 Derby points he has already accumulated after runner-up finishes in the Grade 3 Lecomte and the Grade 2 Risen Star before running fourth in last month's Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. Hall of Famer John Velazquez has the mount and will break from post position seven aboard the Michael Stidham trainee. Bezos, a maiden winner last out on March 26 at Santa Anita, will make his first stakes appearance for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Oaklawn will get in on the stakes action with an exciting conclusion, hosting the $400,000 Oaklawn Mile for 4-year-olds and up in Race 9 at 5:49 p.m. By My Standards, who earned more than $1 million as a 4-year-old in 2020, will make his first start as a 5-year-old when trainer Bret Calhoun sends the multiple Grade 2-winner out to face an accomplished field that includes fellow Grade 2-winner Rushie, who is also Grade 1-placed. Wells Bayou, who won the 2020 Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, will also be in the mix for reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool. The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit www.NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, April 10:
Leg A: Aqueduct– Race 7 (4:42 p.m.)
Leg B: Keeneland – Race 8 Giant's Causeway (4:57 p.m.)
Leg C: Aqueduct – Race 8 Danger's Hour (5:19 p.m.)
Leg D: Keeneland – Race 9 G3 Lexington (5:30 p.m.)
Leg E: Oaklawn – Race 9 Oaklawn Mile (5:49 p.m.)

The post Cross Country Pick 5 Features Stakes From Aqueduct, Oaklawn, Keeneland appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Tiznow Filly Gives Ennis, Graham Another Baby Race at Keeneland

2nd-Keeneland, $55,240, Msw, 4-8, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.04, ft, 1 length.
SHESGOTATTITUDE (f, 2, Tiznow–Mackenzie Capri, by Eskendereya) was allowed to drift up to 21-5–better than twice her morning line–in the face of the heavily backed Wesley Ward 3-5 firster Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) and ran to some eye-popping morning trials to provide trainer John Ennis with his second debut winner of the meet. Exiting a bullet three-furlong blowout in :34 flat (1/32) over this main track Mar. 30, the bay filly hit the ground running and showed the way exiting the chute through an opening quarter-mile in :22.41. She cut the corner into the stretch and responded gamely through the final 50 yards to score by a length. Twilight Gleaming, the first runner for her Irish National Stud-based stallion, was slowly into stride, raced three wide around the turn, loomed with every chance at the furlong pole and could not sustain a winning bid. James Graham was in the irons for Ennis, the same team responsible for the good-looking debut winner Bohemian Frost (Frosted) on opening day Apr. 2. The winner's dam, a half-sister to SW & GSP 'TDN Rising Star' Telekinesis (Ghostzapper), was acquired with this filly in utero for $85,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. Shesgotattitude's third dam was MGSW/MGISP Gold Mover (Gold Fever), whose SW daughter Giant Mover (Giant's Causeway) produced GSW & GISP Family Tree (Smart Strike) and GSW Liora (Candy Ride {Arg}), runner-up in the 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks. Mackenzie Capri is the dam of a yearling colt by Kantharos and was most recently covered by The Factor. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $36,000. \fs21fs21 Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Ken Donworth & John Ennis; B-Des Ryan, Ken Donworth & Tony Dardis (KY); T-John Ennis.

The post Tiznow Filly Gives Ennis, Graham Another Baby Race at Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Kilroe Winner Hits the Road for First Time in Maker’s Mark Mile

The winner of four straight races and six of nine overall, including a first-ever Grade I triumph for his trainer last out, progressive Hit the Road (More Than Ready) will travel outside of California for the first time in his career to face eight rivals in a competitive renewal of the GI Maker's Mark Mile Friday at Keeneland.

Capturing his first two turf tries, the latter coming in the Zuma Beach S., as a 2-year-old, the bay ran seventh before being disqualified to last in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and was fourth in the GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. That's the last time Hit the Road has tasted defeat, as he followed up a Santa Anita allowance score last spring with a tally in the restricted Oceanside S. July 10 at Del Mar. Given the rest of his sophomore campaign off, he's come back better than ever, dominating the GIII Thunder Road S. by 3 3/4 lengths and squeezing through a narrow opening to take the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. to give conditioner Dan Blacker a career high Mar. 6 at Santa Anita.

Given the narrow nod at 7-2 on the morning line is the lone other Grade I winner in the field, Peter Brant's Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Rallying to a victory in the GI Hollywood Derby in December of 2018, the now 6-year-old has had a difficult time finding the winning thread since then, scoring just once in his subsequent 10 tries, albeit at the highest level in last spring's GI Shoemaker Mile S. at Santa Anita. The Chad Brown trainee ran a close third in this event last year and was runner-up in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile S. here in the fall before running 10th in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile.

Lightly-raced Darain (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) intrigues as he takes a steep class hike. Starting his career two-for-two last summer in his native land for John Gosden, he failed to hit the board in the G2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur S. or G3 Darley S., but was a narrow second and registered a sharp allowance score in two tries for Brad Cox this winter at Fair Grounds. Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) also commands respect, as his twin 105 Beyers from his runner-up finish in Pimlico's GII Dinner Party S. and victory in the New York-bred Mohawk S. last fall are tied with Raging Bull's Shoemaker figure for field best.

The post Kilroe Winner Hits the Road for First Time in Maker’s Mark Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post