Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

Options Open for Art Collector

Bruce Lunsford’s GII Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Art Collector (Bernardini) returned to trainer Tom Drury’s Skylight Training Center base in Goshen, Kentucky Saturday night and options for the colt’s next start are still open.

“I am going to get with Bruce in the next couple of days and figure out what we will do,” Drury said. “Art Collector will stay at Skylight for a little while because it is quieter there and then like we have done before, two weeks or so before he runs we will bring him back to Churchill.”

With the Blue Grass victory, Art Collector picked up 100 qualifying points toward the Sept. 5 GI Kentucky Derby, good for fourth place on the Derby leader board with only six points races remaining.

“If we do anything [before the Derby], it likely would be Ellis [the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9],” Drury said.

Art Collector gave Drury his first graded stakes victory with his authoritative score at Keeneland Saturday, but the trainer didn’t have much time to celebrate.

“It was a pretty special day,” Drury said Sunday morning. “You know how we horse trainers are. I had to get him back to Skylight last night and I had to be at Churchill Downs at 5:30 [this morning] for the first set. I wound up having a frozen pizza and a cold beer.”

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Madaket Stables’ Speech (Mr Speaker), along with stablemate and Blue Grass third-place finisher Rushie (Liam’s Map), is scheduled to ship back to California Monday following her victory in Saturday’s GI Central Bank Ashland S.

“Justin Curran was deputizing on my behalf and was very pleased with them this morning,” trainer Mike McCarthy said of the duo via text Sunday. “Most likely both will have a few works here at Del Mar before deciding on a Churchill Downs arrival date.”

Rushie is not Triple Crown nominated, and plans are uncertain for the colt, who has picked up 40 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the Run for the Roses.

“Nothing is set in stone for Rushie,” McCarthy said. “There are plenty of options.”

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Leinster Leads 1-2 Finish For Rusty Arnold In Shakertown Stakes

Amy Dunne, Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables and Jean Wilkinson's Leinster collared 2018 Shakertown winner Bound for Nowhere at midstretch and held off stablemate Totally Boss by a head to win the Grade 2 Shakertown Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Rusty Arnold, Leinster covered the 5½ furlongs on a firm turf course in a course-record 1:00.86.

Bound for Nowhere, under regular rider Julio Garcia, led the field through fractions of :21.16 and :43.55 with Tiger Blood in closest pursuit and Leinster stalking in fourth.

Bound for Nowhere opened a daylight advantage in the upper stretch and grudgingly gave way to Leinster, who in turn held off Totally Boss.

The victory was worth $90,000 and improved Leinster's bankroll to $524,211 with a record of 21-4-6-4. Leinster is a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Majestic Warrior out of the Royal Academy mare Vassar.

Leinster paid $22.40, $8.60 and $5.40. Totally Boss, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, returned $7.40 and $5.20 with Bound for Nowhere finishing another neck back in third and paying $3.80 to show.

Fast Boat finished another half-length back in fourth and was followed in order by Extravagant Kid, Tell Your Daddy, Corruze, Tiger Blood, Just Might, Texas Wedge, Real News, Shared Legacy and Wildman Jack.

Shakertown Quotes
Tyler Gaffalione: “(Leinster) broke well. He put himself right in the race. I was able to drop in behind the speed. I had the perfect trip, really. All credit goes to (trainer) Rusty (Arnold) and his team. He told me when I got to the Paddock that (Leinster) was ready today. And he definitely showed it.”

Did you think you won the photo? “I was very confident. I had the momentum going forward.”

Rusty Arnold, trainer of 1-2 finishers Leinster and Totally Boss:

What was it like waiting out that photo finish? “It was probably the first time in my life I was begging for a dead heat. I've watched it three times and I couldn't tell (who won). It was going to work good for me either way, but it would have worked really good for me if it was a dead heat.”

Did you think both horses would have performances like that? “I did. They both came back from their one race at Churchill (a May 29 allowance, their first start of 2020), which they didn't win. But they were hung up in the virus this winter in Florida and we didn't get them going as early as we wanted. They have really done well here, both horses.”

How do you get them to peak again here for Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1)? “Not sure yet, but I'm going to work on that. I think the race today is probably good enough to get them both in. But we'll work our way backwards from that. That's where we want them both.”

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With Jenny Wiley Victory, Rushing Fall Now A Grade 1 Winner At 2, 3, 4 And 5

E Five Thoroughbreds' Rushing Fall collared pacesetting Jolie Olimpica (BRZ) at the eighth pole and then drew clear to win the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley by three-quarters of a length at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Javier Castellano, Rushing Fall covered the 1 1/16 miles on a firm turf course in a course-record 1:39.02.

Jolie Olimpica set the pace with fractions of :23.42, :46.94 and 1:10.10 with Rushing Fall in closest pursuit. Rushing Fall began closing the gap on the far turn but was unable to draw on even terms until midstretch where she began to slowly inch away.

Rushing Fall's fifth Grade 1 victory was worth $210,000 and increased her earnings to $2,278,000 with a record of 13-10-2-0.

The 5-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of More Than Ready out of the Forestry mare Autumnal notched her fifth Keeneland stakes victory, a total that trails only the record seven owned by Wise Dan.

Rushing Fall won the Jessamine (G3) in 2017, the Appalachian (G2) and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) in 2018 and the Jenny Wiley (G1) in 2019. She joins Intercontinental (GB) in 2004-2005 as the only repeat Jenny Wiley winner.

She becomes the third horse since 1976 to win Grade 1 stakes as age 2, 3, 4 and 5 joining Lady Eli and Beholder.

Rushing Fall returned $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10. Jolie Olimpica, ridden by Mike Smith, returned $5.20 and $3.60 with Juliet Foxtrot (GB) finishing third another half-length back under Tyler Gaffalione and paying $3.20 to show.

It was another 1¼ lengths back to Altea (FR) and Toinette, who dead-heated for fourth with Secret Message, La Signare (FR) and Mucho Unusual completing the field in order.

Jenny Wiley Quotes
Bob Edwards, whose e Five Racing Thoroughbreds owns Rushing Fall: “She's tenacious and once she got a nose ahead, she wasn't letting up. She was going to bury her.”

On Rushing Fall winning Grade 1 races each year from ages 2-5: “It's a dream come true. Everyone wishes for a horse like this. I hope I get another one in my racing career like her. This is just phenomenal. We're all sitting around watching it at the house. I'm still shaking. The adrenaline spike is still there even when you're watching from your couch. And not a terrible day for Chad (Brown).”

Javier Castellano: “She's the type of horse that she doesn't have to be on the lead. Today it worked out great. I could keep track of the front runners. The way she did it is amazing. She's a really nice filly.”

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Enola Gay Edges Walk In Marrakesh At The Wire In Appalachian

Allen Stable's homebred Enola Gay edged past Walk In Marrakesh (IRE) in the final jump to win Saturday's Appalachian Stakes (G2) at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.

Trained by Shug McGaughey and ridden by Julien Leparoux, Enola Gay covered the mile on a firm turf in a stakes-record 1:33.97. It is the third Appalachian victory for Leparoux, who also won on Check the Label in 2010 and Lady of Venice (FR) in 2006.

Evil Lyn led the field of six through fractions of :23.25 and :46.28 with odds-on favorite Alms tracking in second and Walk In Marrakesh third.

On the far turn, Alms and Walk In Marrakesh moved by the leader while Enola Guy began to move on the far outside. Walk In Marrakesh put Alms away in deep stretch but could not hold off the late surge by Enola Gay.

The victory was worth $90,000 and increased Enola Gay's earnings to $174,000 with a record of 3-2-0-0.

The Appalachian was her first start in eight months.

A Keeneland sales graduate, Enola Gay is a Kentucky-bred daughter of Uncle Mo out of the War Front mare Dakota Queen. She paid $12.60, $5.20 and $2.60. Walk In Marrakesh, ridden by Jose Ortiz, returned $4.40 and $2.40 with Alms finishing only head back and returning $2.10 to show under Joel Rosario.

It was another 1¼ lengths back to Evil Lyn, who was followed in order by Passion Factor and Mariafoot (FR).

Appalachian Presented by Japan Racing Association Quotes
Julien Leparoux: “I was in a good spot the whole race. The 3 (Evil Lyn) and 4 (Alms) – I got going with them. Coming to the stretch, (Enola Gay) just went on. She fought hard. At the wire, I thought I won it. But when I came back I saw the outrider pick up the 6 (second-place Walk In Marrakesh [IRE]). I thought maybe I was too late. But she got it done.

“My filly, she just kept going. She fought hard the whole way.”

Winning trainer Shug McGaughey: “I couldn't tell (if she had won). I kind of called it the other way, but then I got a text that said 'Boom' and I knew I was all right.

“She had trained really well up here (in New York). We were taking a little shot. She hadn't run for a while, but she had trained so well. She had been finishing up in her races really good, but it looked to me when they turned for home there she might (not win). Julien got her to the outside, and she kicked in. They ran fast. We're very pleased, I'm very, very pleased.

“It looks like to me now that she wants to run a little bit farther. So we'll see how she comes out of it. She'll go to Saratoga tomorrow.”

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