Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fresh Off Saudi Cup Win, John Gosden Joins TDN Writers’ Room

Three days after racking up yet another monumental win in a career chock full of them, legendary trainer John Gosden joined the TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland Tuesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Gosden explained how he got Saudi Cup hero Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) to be as brilliant on dirt as he is on turf, what made his five-time champion Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) such a phenomenon, how his roots of training in California in the 1980s informed the rest of his career and much more.

Asked about what it takes to get a horse to perform at a top level on multiple surfaces as Mishriff has done, Gosden said, “I think you've got to have the individual. You've got to have a horse that obviously handles the surface, but also the one that has the courage to face the kickback. And I think that's very much the issue. I had many good turf horses in California that could work a mile in a great time on the main track on their own in the morning, but put them in a race in the afternoon and they couldn't tolerate the dirt. They lose their breathing, their rhythm, everything. So, you need a horse with courage.”

Regarding what else made the difference for Mishriff against top American dirt horses Charlatan (Speightstown) and Knicks Go (Paynter) in the Saudi Cup, Gosden commented, “I think one thing is very clear, and I think Bob [Baffert] might have said this: the long straight at Riyadh made a big difference to us, because we are used to straights of two, three, four furlongs in distance. To that extent, he really relished the two-and-a-half furlong straight, which I think in the end just caught Charlatan out in that last 100 meters. So that type of track very much suits him.”

On what he's looking at for the rest of Mishriff's campaign and whether or not it will include a shot in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Gosden said, “We plan obviously to be running him here in races like the Eclipse Stakes. We may even consider looking at a race at the end of the year like The Arc. As regards to Del Mar, of course, that's to be discussed on the agenda. Having trained and had a lot of fun at Del Mar, I know it very well. The track and the finish line is quite a long way away from the clubhouse turn. It's quite a short straight. So that would probably be something that would be a positive for horses like Knicks Go and Charlatan and maybe not such a positive for us.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers conducted their 2021 fantasy 3-year-old draft, checked in with TDN European Editor Emma Berry for more on the Saudi Cup and, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, reacted to the huge news of three top stallion farms suing The Jockey Club over its 140-mare cap. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

The post Fresh Off Saudi Cup Win, John Gosden Joins TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Champion Vequist, Grade 1 Winners Dayoutoftheoffice, Simply Ravishing Top Ashland Nominees

Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Swilcan Stable's Vequist, whose victory in last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland secured the Eclipse Award as champion 2-year-old filly for her, plus Grade 1 winners Dayoutoftheoffice and Simply Ravishing headline the 84 3-year-old fillies nominated to the 84th running of the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1) on April 3, opening Saturday of Keeneland's 2021 Spring Meet when the track also will run the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2) among six graded stakes worth $2.1 million.

The 1 1/16-mile Central Bank Ashland awards 100 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The next three finishers receive 40 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively, to the $1.25 million race on April 30 at Churchill Downs.

Thirty-four fillies who raced in the Central Bank Ashland have won the Kentucky Oaks, including champion Monomoy Girl (2018), Cathryn Sophia (2016) and Lovely Maria (2015).

Click here for a list of Central Bank Ashland nominees; click here for their past performances.

The Central Bank Ashland, the ninth race on April 3 with a 5:30 p.m. ET post, and the Toyota Blue Grass at 6:38 p.m. are part of Keeneland's blockbuster 11-race card that day. Other stakes are the $300,000 Madison (G1) for fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Keeneland Select for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf; $200,000 Shakertown (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

Keeneland will offer a $500,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four and a $500,000-guaranteed All Stakes Pick Five that day.

Post positions for the Central Bank Ashland, Toyota Blue Grass and the other April 3 races will be drawn Tuesday, March 30.

Vequist, trained by Butch Reid, is a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. In addition to her Breeders' Cup victory, she won the Spinaway (G1). Vequist is third on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard behind Stonestreet Stables' Clairiere and OXO Equine's Travel Column.

Clairiere, trained by Steve Asmussen, won the recent Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds to grab the top spot. She and Stonestreet's Pauline's Pearl are nominated to both the Central Bank Ashland and the Toyota Blue Grass.

Trained by Brad Cox, Travel Column was second in the Rachel Alexandra in her 2021 debut after closing 2020 with a victory in the Golden Rod (G2) and a third-place finish in the Darley Alcibiades (G1) at Keeneland.

Other leading Kentucky Oaks point earners who are nominated to the Central Bank Ashland are trainer Tim Hamm and Siena Farm's Dayoutoftheoffice, who won the Frizette (G1) before finishing second to Vequist in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Albaugh Family Stables' Girl Daddy, who won the Pocahontas (G3) and was third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Harold Lerner, Magdalena Racing and Nehoc Stables' Simply Ravishing, who won the Darley Alcibiades before finishing fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies; Brad King, Jim Cone, Scott Bryant and Stan and Suzanne Kirby's Moon Swag, third in the Rachel Alexandra, and Shadwell Stable's undefeated Malathaat, winner of the Demoiselle (G2).

McPeek, who conditions Simply Ravishing, leads all trainers by number of nominees to the Central Bank Ashland with eight.

The late nomination period for the Central Bank Ashland is Wednesday, March 17.

The post Champion Vequist, Grade 1 Winners Dayoutoftheoffice, Simply Ravishing Top Ashland Nominees appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Essential Quality, Mandaloun Top Nominees To April 3 Blue Grass Stakes

Ten of the top 11 horses on the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) leaderboard, which is led by recent Risen Star (G2) Presented by Lamarque Ford winner Mandaloun and undefeated champion Essential Quality, are among 148 3-year-olds nominated to the 97th running of the $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G2), the richest of the six graded stakes worth $2.1 million to be run April 3 on opening Saturday of Keeneland's 2021 Spring Meet.

Brad Cox, who received the 2020 Eclipse Award as outstanding trainer, conditions both Essential Quality and Mandaloun. He trains a total of 13 horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass.

Click here for the list of the Toyota Blue Grass nominees; click here for their past performances.

“We thank the best racing operations in the U.S. for their support of Keeneland by nominating such an accomplished roster of horses to the Toyota Blue Grass,” Keeneland Vice President of Racing Gatewood Bell said. “The race is an important part of Triple Crown season and the cornerstone of the Spring Meet.”

The 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass is one of the nation's most prominent steppingstones to the Triple Crown's first leg, the $3 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1 at Churchill Downs. The winner earns 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, while the second-, third- and fourth-place finishers receive 40 points, 20 points and 10 points, respectively.

Joining the Toyota Blue Grass on Keeneland's 11-race card on April 3 are the $400,000 Central Bank Ashland (G1), a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies bidding to compete in the Kentucky Oaks (G1); $300,000 Madison (G1) for older fillies and mares at 7 furlongs on the dirt; $200,000 Appalachian (G2) Presented by Japan Racing Association for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf; $200,000 Shakertown (G2) for 3-year-olds and up at 5½ furlongs on the turf; and $200,000 Commonwealth (G3) for older horses at 7 furlongs on the dirt.

That day, Keeneland will offer a $500,000-guaranteed All-Stakes Pick Four and a $500,000-guaranteed All Stakes Pick Five.

The Toyota Blue Grass will be the final race of Keeneland's April 3 card with a 6:38 p.m. ET post. NBC Sports Network will televise the race along with the Wood Memorial (G2) Presented by Resorts World Casino from Aqueduct and Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Post positions for the Toyota Blue Grass, Central Bank Ashland and the other April 3 races will be drawn Tuesday, March 30.

Mandaloun, a homebred racing for Juddmonte Farms, posted his initial stakes victory Feb. 13 in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds to move into the top spot on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Owned and bred by Godolphin, Essential Quality is undefeated in three starts with two Grade 1 victories at Keeneland: Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance. He is second on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

Among the top-ranked horses on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard who are nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass are the first five finishers from last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Third on the leaderboard is Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, winner of the Lecomte (G3), followed by Godolphin's Proxy, runner-up in the Lecomte and Risen Star; Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm's Keepmeinmind, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) who was second in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity and third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer, recent winner of the El Camino Real Derby (L) who was fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit, winner of the Robert B. Lewis (G3); SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm et al's Spielberg, winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2); J. Kirk and Judy Robison's two-time Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior, fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing and William Strauss' Hot Rod Charlie, runner-up in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

Other notable horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass include the next six horses on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard: Gary Barber's Get Her Number, winner of the American Pharoah (G1); Albaugh Family Stables' Sittin On Go, winner of the Iroquois (G3) Presented by Ford; Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking, winner of the Withers (G3); Frank Fletcher Racing Operations' Candy Man Rocket, winner of the Sam F. Davis (G3); Courtlandt Farms' Greatest Honour, winner of the Holy Bull (G3), and Shortleaf Stable's Caddo River, winner of the Smarty Jones (L).

Steve Asmussen and Todd Pletcher lead trainers by number of horses nominated to the Toyota Blue Grass, with 15 each.

Asmussen's nominees include the aforementioned Jackie's Warrior and Midnight Bourbon along with two fillies bred and raced by Stonestreet Stables: Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Clairiere and Pauline's Pearl. Clairiere is the leading point earner on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Joining Asmussen and Pletcher along with Cox as trainers with the most nominees to the Toyota Blue Grass are Chad Brown (nine), Bob Baffert (eight), Mark Casse (seven), Saffie Joseph Jr. (five), Kenny McPeek (five) and Dale Romans (five).

The late nomination period for the Toyota Blue Grass closes Wednesday, March 17.

The post Essential Quality, Mandaloun Top Nominees To April 3 Blue Grass Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Keeneland and Partners Providing Vaccines to Hispanic Stable Staff

Keeneland is collaborating with the University of Kentucky and other community partners to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to medically under-served populations, including Hispanic workers in Keeneland's stable area and on local horse farms. In an effort to address access and equity issues with the availability of the vaccine, Keeneland will host a mobile pop-up clinic at the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center this Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The goal is to provide vaccines to the Hispanic population in racing's community.

Kentucky's Department of Public Health is allocating 500 vaccine doses at no cost. The clinic will also return to the site for booster shots.

Click here for more details and other clinic locations and dates.

The post Keeneland and Partners Providing Vaccines to Hispanic Stable Staff appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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